Like Father, Like Daughter
by DoomedRomance
Summary: Buffy finds out Hank isn't her father.  What happens when fate steps in and throws her together with her real father, Leroy Jethro Gibbs
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money_

"Good Morning, Tony." Diva David said as she walked by Tony's desk. "Long night?" she inquired as she got a good look at his appearance.

Tony DiNozzo was not in the mood for Ziva's wit this morning. He had, in fact, had a very long night and the morning was not starting off well. He hadn't had time to shave this morning and his clothes, though clean, were just not up to his usual standards.

Ziva made it to her desk before she realized Tony hadn't answered her. Her concern jumped up a notch.

She walked back over to stand in front of his desk and took in his appearance. He looked ragged and tired, more than just a late night would account for.

"Tony, are you alright?" she couldn't quite hide all the concern in her voice.

Tony looked from the computer screen, where he'd been pretending to work, to Ziva and forced his trademark grin. "Couldn't be better. Like you said, late night." He wiggled his eyebrows for effect.

Ziva didn't believe him, something was going on. She was about to question him further when the elevator dinged and Gibbs walked out.

"Morning, boss." Tony called as he walked by.

Gibbs didn't answer. He sat his coffee down on his desk and started to open the drawer where he kept his gun.

"Gear up." he said as he checked his clip and holstered his weapon. "We got a dead petty officer in an abandoned warehouse in Norfolk."

Ziva and Tony both hurried to get their gear.

"Where's McGee?" Gibbs barked.

"Not here." Ziva said.

"Well, find him." Gibbs almost yelled.

McGee picked that moment to get off the elevator.

"Nice of you to join us, McGee. Let's go. You're driving." Gibbs said as he threw a surprised and confused Timothy McGee the keys to the van.

Gibbs grabbed his coffee and headed for the elevator leaving his three agents scrambling to catch up.

"Where are we going?" McGee whispered to Ziva as they raced to the elevator.

"Dead petty officer at Norfolk." Ziva answered.

The scene was very similar to what they had seen before. There were local police and emergency vehicles everywhere. The yellow crime scene tape was up and there were onlookers standing around waiting for a glimpse of something, anything so they could go tell everyone what they saw.

The warehouse itself, though large, was unimpressive. It was old and in bad need of repair. At one time it has been used as a storage warehouse for an electronics company. But, the company went bankrupt and the warehouse was abandoned.

Gibbs walked up to the first uniformed cop he saw and flipped open his ID. "What do we have?" he demanded.

The officer on the scene answered immediately. "A couple of homeless guys found her in building this morning. They said they were just going in for shelter, but they both had a couple bottles of liquor."

"How do you know she's one of ours?" Gibbs asked.

"One of the homeless guys found her purse. Said they didn't touch the body and the purse was laying a few feet from her. They claim they were just trying to find her ID. More than likely they just wanted to see if there was any money."

"Where are these guys now?"

The office pointed about 20 yards to the south. "Two officers are taking their statements."

"Ziva! The homeless guys."

Ziva nodded and started to walk towards the men.

Gibbs looked at McGee and Tony. "McGee, DiNozzo, you're with me."

The office led them inside the warehouse.

The body was only a few feet inside the door.

McGee immediately started to taking pictures as Gibbs kneeled and got a closer look at the body. Tony began searching the immediate area looking for any evidence.

She had been identified as Petty Officer Amelia Rhodes, age 23, stationed at Norfolk.

Gibbs studied her features. She had been a beautiful woman with blonde hair and green eyes. Those once beautiful eyes now started back at him, lifeless, and her blonde hair was matted with blood.

Gibbs heard movement behind him and turned to find Ducky behind him.

"What do we have, Jethro?" Ducky asked.

"Petty Officer Amelia Rhodes. Call came in early this morning. Looks like someone slashed her throat."

"Well, my dear." Ducky cooed as he inserted the liver probe. "Looks like someone definitely did a number on you."

Ducky looked at the probe and then up at Gibbs. "I'd place time of death between 5 and 5:30 this morning. I won't know a definite cause of death until I complete the autopsy, but her throat has definitely been slashed as you observed but there is something odd about it. It reminds me of when I was in medical school…"

"Not now, Ducky." Gibbs cut off the story before Ducky could get started. "Get her back. I want to know how she died."

"You don't think it was the slashed throat?" Ducky asked.

Gibbs gave him a look. "You and I both know there isn't enough blood here for that. So either her throat was slashed after she died or this is a body dump. I want to know which."

Ducky's assistant, Jimmy Palmer, chose that moment to arrive with gurney and he and Ducky set to work preparing the body for transport.

"Hey, boss." Tony called from the other end of the room. "I think I've got something."

Gibbs was at Tony's side in seconds.

"There's blood trail." Tony said, pointing to the small drops of blood on the dusty floor. "From what I can see it goes through that door toward the back of the building."

Gibbs looked and saw several small puddles of blood.

Gibbs wasn't sure what was setting his alarm bells off, but they were screaming at him. He pulled his weapon and cautiously began to make his way toward the door, being careful not to step in the blood.

Tony didn't understand why Gibbs had pulled his weapon, but he knew better than to question Gibbs' gut. It had been right too many times. So, without any words, he too pulled his weapon and followed his boss, watching his back.

They slowly made their way through the doorway to what was probably office space. There were still several desks and filing cabinets in the large room.

Another door towards the rear of the room probably led to the back part of the warehouse. That was where the blood trail was leading them.

As they made their way through the office, they made note of several filing cabinets that have been turned over and desks that are askew with the marks on the tops of desks where the dust has been disturbed.

The back room of the warehouse is much smaller than the front, only about 40 ft by 40 ft. and unlike the front where most everything had been cleared out, this room was cluttered with boxes and equipment.

Nothing was immediately out of place, but Gibbs did not lower his gun.

He motioned to Tony to take the left side of the room and he took the right. He was so intent on looking for a threat, he almost missed the hand that was sticking out from underneath several layers of debris.

"DiNozzo!"

Tony rushed over and followed Gibbs' gaze. He still had his camera hanging from a strap around his neck. He holstered his gun and snapped a few quick photos.

Then, he and Gibbs started moving the debris covering the rest of the body. It was another blonde, female body.

They got the body uncovered and Tony snapped a few more pictures as Gibbs pulled out his phone.

"Ducky. We've got another body in the back room." he said and snapped his phone shut.

"Tony, get a picture of that blood drop on her left shoulder."

"Why, boss? There's blood all over her."

"Because that's my blood." Gibbs answered and held his hand out for Tony to see the cut across his palm. "I cut my hand on a piece of sheet metal."

Tony nodded and snapped the picture.

Jethro studied this body. She had multiple bruises on her face and body and probably broken bones, but her throat had not been slashed like the petty officer. She looked somehow familiar to him, but he was sure he'd never met her.

Gibbs leaned a little closer to study a mark on her neck.

Gibbs pulled out his phone and barked into it. "I need paramedics, NOW!"

Tony looked at the blonde and saw her fingers move slightly. "Oh my God, she's alive."

"And we're going to keep her that way." Gibbs said as he began to clear more of the debris away from her so the paramedics could get to her and administer aid.

It only took a couple of minutes to get paramedics to the site. There was a very weak pulse, but it was there and she was barely breathing. They quickly prepared her for transport to the hospital.

"I want this entire warehouse searched and everything taken back to Abby." Gibbs ordered.

Ziva met Gibbs just outside the warehouse.

"What do you have?" he demanded.

"They gave me the same story as they gave the police. Admitted they were looking for somewhere to drink. Arrived around 6 this morning after a police officer ran them out of the alley they were sleeping in a few blocks away. I'm trying to track him down now to confirm. One of the guys is ex-Navy and when he saw the Petty Officer's ID, decided to call it in instead of just leaving her. Swear they didn't see or hear anything."

"Did they go anywhere else in the building?"

"They say no. They found her, ransacked her purse and called the police. I believe they are telling the truth."

Gibbs nodded. He trusted Ziva's opinion. She had a knack for knowing if someone was telling the truth.

"I want you at the hospital. As soon as this woman wakes up, I want to know."

"Is she a victim or a suspect?" Ziva asked.

"There's evidence of fight between several people and, so far, we haven't found a knife. She was beaten pretty badly and there were no marks on the petty officer's hands to indicate she'd been in fight. Right now, she's a victim."

Ziva nodded and rushed to catch the ambulance before they left with the woman.

Chapter 2

Several hours later the team gathered at headquarters.

"What do we know?" Gibbs questioned no one in particular.

"Petty Officer Rhodes has an impeccable service record." McGee answered. "She's been a perfect soldier and her commanding officer always gave her good reviews. She lived in an apartment on Stolmyer. No roommate, no boyfriend, no enemies that anyone knows about."

"What about previous boyfriends?" Tony asked.

McGee shook his head. "She hasn't dated anyone for at least year. The last guy was enlisted and they broke it off before he went to Iraq. He died over there several months ago."

Tony took over. "She was last seen yesterday afternoon at work. Told her co-workers she had to meet someone last night, but she didn't give a name or where they were supposed to meet. Left work around 6."

"Ziva?"

"The woman hasn't regained consciousness yet and there was no ID on her so she's still a Jane Doe. She has a severe concussion, more bruises than I care to count and three broken ribs. The doctors are optimistic about her recovery, if she will wake up."

"Abby is processing the evidence collected at the scene." Gibbs said. "She'll run the woman's DNA through the system and try to get a name."

Gibbs' phone rang. "Yeah." he said and listened for a moment before flipping the phone shut.

"Ducky's got something."

The team made their way to autopsy where Palmer was just finishing sewing the Y-incision.

"What is it, Duck?"

"You were right, Jethro. Our petty officer was not killed by slitting her throat. She died of exsanguination, but not from the throat wound. See the skin, here." he said as he pointed to the left side of the neck. "This wound did not bleed. She was already dead. She lost the blood some other way."

"Any other wounds?" Ziva asked.

"Nothing that would cause her massive blood loss." Ducky answered. "She has several bruises on her torso and arms. There are two bruises on her arms that suggest she was forcible held from behind by someone." He picked up her arm and pointed out the finger shaped bruises around the upper arm. "There are similar bruises on her other arm."

"Anything else." Gibbs demanded.

"Actually, yes. There is an abnormality with the cut on her throat, on the right side of her neck. I've never seen anything like it. It appears the cut is covering up another wound to the throat."

"What does that mean?" Tony asked.

"It means, whatever caused that wound is probably what caused her bleed out and caused her death, but while I can tell there was some kind of puncture wound there, I can not determine what caused it. Most likely, the post-mortem cut was to cover up the actual fatal wound."

"But why?" Ziva mused out loud. "Why bother covering up the fatal wound with something else?"

"Some kind of signature wound, perhaps." Ducky answered. "Certain serial killers have very specific ways they kill their victims. Perhaps this is someone's way of covering that up to reduce the risk of having other victims tied to him or giving the authorities a lead on his identity."

"Was the body moved?" Gibbs asked.

"Lividity seems to indicate she was not moved after death, but if that's the case, where's the blood. There was most definitely not enough blood at the scene for that to be the location where she bled out."

"Anything to give us any idea where she was right before she died?"

"It appears she ate a few hours before her death. I've sent stomach contents to Abby and blood for a tox screen, but I don't see any indication of drug use."

"Thanks, Ducky." Jethro said as she left.

As they stepped in the elevator, Ziva's phone rang. She listened and then turned to Gibbs. "The woman is awake."

"Get to the hospital. Take Tony with you. McGee, you're with me. We're going to check out the petty officer's apartment."

Petty Officer Amelia Rhodes lived in a small, one bedroom apartment in a decent neighborhood. Her apartment was neat with little touches that made it a home. Gibbs and McGee went through the apartment carefully, looking for anything that may give them a clue, but they didn't find anything out of the ordinary.

McGee found her laptop and bagged it to take back to Abby. Hopefully, they would find an appointment book or calendar or email correspondence that would tell them who she was meeting.

They were just finishing up with the apartment when Gibbs' phone rang. "Yeah, Abby. What you have."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money

Chapter 2

Previously

_As they stepped in the elevator, Ziva's phone rang. She listened and then turned to Gibbs. "The woman is awake."_

_"Get to the hospital. Take Tony with you. McGee, you're with me. We're going to check out the petty officer's apartment."_

_"Tonight?" McGee questioned._

_Gibbs gave him a look. "Yes, tonight."_

_Petty Officer Amelia Rhodes lived in a small, one bedroom apartment in a decent neighborhood. Her apartment was neat with little touches that made it a home. There were colorful rugs on floor and throw pillows on the couch. Gibbs and McGee went through the apartment carefully, looking for anything that may give them a clue, but they didn't find anything out of the ordinary. _

_McGee found her laptop and after a quick examine showed it was password protected, he bagged it to take back to Abby. Hopefully, she would find an appointment book or calendar or email correspondence that would tell them who she was meeting the night she died._

"What did the doc say?" Tony asked as they made their way down the hall toward the blonde's room.

"Not a lot." Ziva admitted. "She regained consciousness and they called us immediately."

They entered the room to find an empty bed.

"Where is she?" Ziva asked slightly panicked. If they lost this witness, Gibbs would have their head.

Before they had a chance to panic, the bathroom door opened and a small, blonde woman stepped out.

"I was wondering when you would get here." she said as she slowly made her way back to the bed.

Tony and Ziva waited until the woman had made herself comfortable before they spoke.

"I'm Special Agent Tony DiNozzo and this is Agent David with NCIS."

At her curious look, Ziva began, "It stands for Naval…"

"I know what it stands for." The blonde interrupted. At their curious looks she continued. "I used to date a guy in the Army."

"What's your name?" Tony asked.

"Buffy Summers." she replied. "Why is NCIS on this case? I'm not military."

"No, but there was also a dead petty officer in the warehouse where you found."

Tony and Ziva both noticed she did not seem surprised by the announcement of a body.

"Okay, Ms. Summers. Can you tell us what happened at the warehouse?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, sorry. I don't remember much. The last thing I remember is having a drink at the Mello. It's bar on Stanley Avenue. The next thing I know, I'm waking up in the hospital."

"Where do you live?" Ziva asked.

"My permanent address is in England." Buffy answered. "I travel a lot for work and keep an apartment in London. I'm hardly ever there. I mostly live in hotels."

"What hotel are you staying at now?"

"The Freedom."

"What kind of work do you do?" This came from Tony.

"I'm a recruiter for a company in England. I meet with potential companies and individuals that the company is interested in working with."

"What's the name of this company?" Ziva asked with palpable skepticism.

Buffy didn't miss the tone. She just smiled and said, "The IWC."

"What exactly does this company do?" Tony almost demanded.

"I don't see how that makes any difference." Buffy said. "Our company does confidential work for several governments around the globe including the good 'ole US of A. Anything more than that, you don't have clearance for."

"Ms. Summers, someone tried to kill you."

"I'm well aware of that fact, Agent DiNozzo, but you still don't have clearance. I'm sorry."

"What do you know about Petty Officer Amelia Rhodes?" Ziva asked.

"Is she the body you found in the warehouse? I never met her."

Tony pulled a photograph out of his jacket pocket. "This is Amelia Rhodes."

Buffy looked at the photograph for moment and shook her head. "Sorry, I've never seen her."

Tony and Ziva tried for the next hour to trip her up or catch her in lie. They couldn't do it. She never changed her story.

Finally, they decided they had all the information they were going to get for the moment.

"She hiding something." Ziva said as they left the hospital.

"I know." Tony answered.

"You know, Tony, I was very impressed with you in there."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"Well, she's a beautiful woman and you didn't flirt with her at all. Why is that?"

Tony shrugged and looked thoughtful. "I really don't know. There's just something about her that screamed 'hands off'."

Ziva accepted that answer although she thought it very odd. She had never known Tony to not flirt with a woman.

After the two agents left, Buffy fought the urge to bang her head on something. She had to get out of here before they came back with more questions she couldn't answer. The problem, of course, was they had her DNA. The military had her DNA on file from her time with the Initiative in Sunnydale. Willow could probably hack into the database and make that disappear, but there was chance they would be able to track it back to her and Buffy didn't want to take the risk. She also didn't want to use the hospital phone to call anyone. She decided she would wait until late, when there were fewer nurses on the floor, and then she would sneak out of the hospital and make a couple of calls.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money

Chapter 3

Later that night, around 3 am, Buffy decided to make her calls. Her nurse had just made her rounds and wouldn't be back for a while.

She slipped out of bed, disabled the pump on her IV so it wouldn't sound the alarm, and took the bag down off the hook and cradled it her arms. She had watched the nurse earlier when she had changed the fluid bag so she knew how to silence the alarm.

Satisfied the first part of her plan was working, Buffy peaked out in the hall. She couldn't afford to get caught now.

She made her way down the hall toward the nurse's break room. Hopefully she could find a jacket or something to cover up the horrible hospital gown.

Across town, Tony DiNozzo lay awake in bed and considered his options. He would have to make a decision soon, but he had no idea what that decision was going be.

All the lights were off at the home of Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, unless you looked closely at the small basement windows.

Gibbs pondered the facts of the case as he sanded his boat. So far, they had nothing. Their best lead was claiming she didn't remember anything and didn't know the other victim. The alibi of the two homeless men had checked out, although he had no doubt it would.

Gibbs stopped sanding for a moment and poured himself a drink. As he drank he pondered the woman, Buffy Summers. Ziva was sure she was hiding something and he was inclined to agree. He still didn't think she had anything to do with the petty officer's death. Was she scared of someone? Or covering for someone? The former brought out his protective instincts while the latter just pissed him off.

Buffy put the long coat back on its hook in the lounge and breathed a sigh of relief as she crept back down the hall to her room.

Willow was now aware of the situation and was going to contact the attorney IWC kept on retainer in the area. Right now they weren't accusing her of anything, but that could quickly change when they found out she wasn't going to tell them anything. Willow assured her she would be hearing from the attorney tomorrow. Sometimes she really missed the incompetent cops in Sunnydale. Lawyers gave her the wiggins about as bad as hospitals.

"Ms. Summers?" came a voice from behind her. "What are you doing out of bed?"

Buffy turned to see her nurse striding down the hall toward her at a fast clip. Nurse Jackson was a no nonsense woman in her mid-40s and seemed to be very good at her job.

Frantically Buffy tried to think of a believable excuse as to why she was out of bed this late. Only one thing came to her. "I was looking for a smoke." she said.

The nurse cocked her eyebrow. "At 3 in the morning?"

Buffy mustered a small smile. "Well, you know how it is when a nicotine craving hits."

"The entire hospital and grounds are smoke free. You'll just have to get over your craving. You shouldn't be smoking and you really shouldn't be out of bed. You have to give those ribs time to heal."

Nurse Jackson walked Buffy back to her room and hooked her IV back up and took her blood pressure.

"Well," she said as she unhooked the blood pressure cuff, "You don't seem any worse for wear, but I don't want to see you out of bed anymore tonight."

"Yes, ma'am." Buffy said.

Gibbs arrived the next morning to see McGee and DiNozzo already at their desks.

"Status report." he called out as he walked toward his desk. "McGee!"

"Buffy Summers is 27 years old, an American citizen and has voted absentee ballot for the last 5 years. She's traveled to 7 countries in the last year according to her passport records. She's made two trips back to US, not counting this one. Never stays in one country more than a couple of weeks and always goes back to England before moving on to another country. Still working on the background check for her earlier years. She's from Sunnydale and I'm having trouble tracking down her information."

"Get it, McGee."

"I'll get it, Boss."

"Tony?"

"There's very little information available about IWC. All I've been able to access is they are based in England and have been around longer than God." He looked up and saw Gibbs face, cleared his throat and continued. "There are references to IWC that date back several hundred years, although there's nothing that actually says what they do. One interesting fact, about 5 years ago, their headquarters in London was bombed and completely destroyed."

"Bombed by who?" Gibbs demanded.

"Unsolved case. No one claimed responsibility and no one was ever charged."

"Dig deeper. I want to know what these people do. Summers said they had a contract with our government. Find out what it is."

"On it boss."

"Where's Ziva?"

"Right here." Ziva said as she brushed past Gibbs. "I talked to the hospital this morning for a report on Buffy Summers. The nurse said she was out of her room last night between 3 and 3:30. Claimed she was looking for a cigarette. She doesn't seem like the smoking type, so I checked the phone records for her room. She hasn't made or received any calls."

"You'd think she'd at least check in with her boss if she's here on business." Tony said.

"Check the phone records for all telephones in a two block radius of the hospital from that time last night. Look for any overseas calls."

Gibbs' phone rang. "Yeah, what is it Abby."

"You need to come down here, now, Gibbs." Abby said.

Gibbs snapped his phone shut. "I gotta go see Abby."

Gibbs walked into the lab and noticed there was no music playing. Abby had her back to him and even from behind she looked tense. He walked up beside and sat the Caf-Pow down.

"Thanks, Gibbs." Abby said with her usual smile.

"What do you have for me?" he asked, his voice much gentler than with the rest of the team.

"I'm actually not sure." Abby said as she took a sip of Caf-Pow. "I've been processing the evidence from the crime scene. The ashes collected from the scene contain carbon and bits of bone."

"Human ashes?"

"It appears to be, but nothing short of cremation would reduce a human body to this state."

"So, what? Someone dumped cremated human ashes on the warehouse floor?"

"With the volume of ash present, I would say several someones."

"You needed me to come down for that?"

"No, that was just the warm up. I also ran the blood samples found at the scene for DNA. I got three donors. Petty Officer Rhodes, Buffy Summers and you."

"I already knew that. Tell me something I don't know."

Abby's smile faltered. "I don't know how to say this, Gibbs."

"Just spit it out, Abs."

"Do you happen to have a twin brother you never mentioned or maybe even a sister?" Abby asked hopefully.

"Abby." Gibbs voice had taken on the 'spit it out' tone.

Abby took a deep breath and let the words out. "According to the DNA tests, unless you have an identical twin, there is a 99% probability that Buffy Summers is your daughter."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money

Chapter 4

Gibbs was vaguely aware of Abby still talking. He heard something about running the tests three times and how she noticed the similarities of two of the DNA samples before she ran them through the data base but she thought she find brothers or relatives to link the killers. He couldn't really make sense of what she was saying. The only thing running through his brain was 'I have a daughter. I have a daughter.'

"Gibbs? Gibbs?" Abby's voice finally cut through the thoughts swirling in his head and made him aware he'd been frozen in one spot for several minutes.

He turned his head to look at her. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Abs." he said. "Is there any possibility the tests are wrong?"

Abby almost stomped her foot. "Weren't you listening, Gibbs. I ran the test three times with different samples in case of cross-contamination and came up with the same thing every time."

"How did you identify Buffy's DNA?" Gibbs asked, his brain finally getting past the shock.

"She's in the military database as a civilian aid."

Gibbs cocked an eyebrow. "She was a civilian aid with the military? When?"

"Most of the records are classified, but the sample is dated almost 10 years ago."

"She would have been 18." Gibbs burst out.

Abby shrugged. In truth, he was taking this way better than she thought he would.

Gibbs surprised Abby by rolling up the sleeve of his shirt. "Compare a sample directly from me to a sample directly from her."

"I don't have a sample directly from her." Abby protested.

Gibbs gestured to his arm. "Take my sample now, I'll take care of getting a sample from her."

"What are you going to tell her?" Abby asked.

"I'm going to tell her…"

"That she's your long lost daughter and you need more tests to confirm it? 'Cause let's face it, Gibbs, you aren't exactly subtle."

"You let me worry about that. Take the sample."

Abby knew better than to argue when Gibbs used that tone of voice. She took the sample.

Gibbs rolled his sleeve back down. "Go ahead and start the test on that. Make sure it matches the DNA on file for me."

"Do you think someone has tampered with two DNA samples in a federal database?" Abby asked disbelievingly. "Do you know what they would have to go through to do that? All the security they would have get past?"

"Are you saying it isn't possible?"

"I'm saying it would take me months to get through undetected."

"I need to be sure, Abby." Gibbs said in a tone Abby had never heard before. Gibbs sounded almost desperate.

"Get me the other sample and we'll be sure."

Gibbs gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and left the lab.

As Abby began testing the sample she couldn't decide if she wanted this girl to be Gibbs' daughter or not. Besides, who names their kid Buffy?

Gibbs drove to the hospital on auto pilot. For once in his life, he didn't know how he was going to handle the situation. His first impulse was to dismiss this as someone's way of getting back at him. After all, if anyone knew about his past this could be the perfect revenge. Kill the girl and make him think he lost another daughter. Or, give him a daughter and try and take her away. If that line of thinking was correct, Buffy Summers could still be in danger. His gut was telling him this wasn't a trick, that he did have another daughter, but in this case he didn't trust his gut. A big part of him wanted it to be true and he was afraid that was influencing him.

Gibbs saw the man in the suit enter the room as he was walking down the hall. He quickened his steps and was prepared to draw his gun if necessary.

As he neared the room, he heard the man speaking. "… attorney for IWC."

He heard a feminine voice say. "I'm glad you're here." and realized this was the first time he had heard Buffy speak. He also realized he had never seen her conscious. His only memory of her was when she was unconscious and barely breathing in the warehouse.

He shook off those sentimental thoughts and walked through the door. There would be time later, after it was confirmed, for him to memorize everything he could about his daughter.

"And I'm guessing you're another NCIS agent." Buffy said when he walked in.

"Special Agent Gibbs." he introduced himself.

The attorney introduced himself. "I'm Daniel Ray, an attorney with Ray, Daeman, and Maxwell."

Gibbs only had a moment to wonder why she had an attorney present before she was speaking again.

"I'm sure you have more questions for me, Special Agent Gibbs." Buffy deduced. "But, I told the other agents everything I remember."

"I have some different questions, Ms. Summers."

"Buffy."

"Okay, Buffy. We're having trouble finding any information on you."

Buffy shrugged. "Well, that can happen when your town is swallowed by an earthquake."

"Were you born in Sunnydale?"

"No, LA. I guess you're having trouble because I was born Elizabeth Ann Summers. My mom started calling me Buffy when I was little and it stuck. I had it legally changed when I was a teenager."

"What are your parents' names?" Gibbs tried to keep his voice neutral when he asked the question, but something must have come through in his tone because she looked at him oddly.

"Why?" she half questioned and half demanded.

"We can get it from your birth certificate."

"Then you don't need me to tell you." she sassed.

If she were a suspect, her answer would have pissed him off, but he found himself admiring her spunk. Still, he had to keep up appearances. "This will be easier if you cooperate."

Buffy was confused and starting to get pissed. "What do my parents have to do with anything?" she demanded. "They aren't here. They had nothing to do with this and I'm not discussing them with you."

"Were you adopted?" he blurted.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Buffy yelled.

The IWC attorney, who up until this time had been quiet, decided it was time to step in. "Agent Gibbs, I fail to see how this line of questioning is relevant to the current situation."

Gibbs directed a glare at the attorney. In truth, this was the first time he'd really looked at him. He had been so focused on Buffy the attorney was nothing more than object in the room. Now, he really noticed him and was not impressed. Mr. Ray was of average height and weight with receding brown hair. He looked to be in his mid-50s and probably hadn't updated the frames of his glasses since the 70s. Even in his $2,000 suit, he was completely forgettable.

Gibbs' voice was deadly when he spoke. "Someone tried to kill Ms. Summers two nights ago and did kill a petty officer with the United States Navy. It's my job to find the bastard that did this and to do that, I need information. Just because you don't 'see how this line of questioning is relevant' doesn't mean it isn't important."

As a warrior and survivor of every kind of supernatural crap imaginable, Buffy knew dangerous when she saw it and this NCIS agent was dangerous. It was time to put an end to this. "My mother has been dead for 7 years and I haven't spoken to my father since I called him and told him Mom had died and he didn't even bother to show up for the funeral."

The anguish and anger in her voice gave Gibbs a pang in his heart. It was obvious to him her mother's death and her father's rejection had deeply affected her.

"Anyone have a grudge against them?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah, me." was Buffy's cryptic answer.

"Why are you really interested, Agent Gibbs." Buffy asked. "And don't give me the line about the case. There's something you aren't saying."

"You're right." Gibbs conceded. "Can we talk in private?" Gibbs asked as he gestured toward the attorney.

"Will this have any thing to do with the case?" Buffy asked.

"I honestly don't know." Gibbs admitted. "But what I have to say to you does not involve the case in any way."

Buffy nodded. "Okay. Can you step outside for a few minutes, Mr. Ray?"

"I don't think that's a good idea." Mr. Ray objected. "As your attorney…"

"As your paying client," Buffy interrupted, "I'm telling you to give me some privacy."

Mr. Ray was very aware of exactly who, and what, Buffy Summers was. He decided he did not want the slayer pissed and him, so he walked stiffly out the door.

"What's going on, Agent Gibbs?" Buffy demanded as soon as the attorney was out of the room.

"Jethro" Gibbs said.

"Okay, Jethro." Buffy said.

"Were you a civilian aid with the military several years ago?"

Buffy was instantly suspicious. "I thought you said this had nothing to do with the case?"

"It doesn't. I just wanted to confirm something. So, is that a yes?"

"Yes, that's a yes. I assumed that would be how you would ID my DNA and why you're asking."

Gibbs made a mental note not to underestimate her, she knew how things worked.

"Something odd came up when we ran the blood found on you at the warehouse." Gibbs began.

"Odd? Odd how?"

"I cut my hand when I was moving sheet metal off you." Gibbs began to explain. He held his hand up and let her see the cut.

"And you got blood on me." Buffy finished for him. "So, what? You have some kind of disease I need to be worried about?" She asked the question, but she wasn't really worried. Her slayer healing would eliminate almost any bacteria or virus.

"No, nothing like that. My lab ran all the samples, including my blood drop on you."

"Yeah, I get it. The courts like everything to be neat and tidy with no untested evidence."

Gibbs gave her a small smile. "Yeah, exactly."

"So, what did you find that you're trying so hard not to say?"

Gibbs' smile disappeared. "The lab found similarities with two of the samples. At first my forensic tech thought she had evidence of family members perhaps working together to commit the murder or perhaps you were related to the victim."

"But that's not what it was." Buffy said and it wasn't a question. She had a bad feeling she wasn't going to like where this was going, but what came next came as a complete shock.

"According to the DNA results from the samples taken at the warehouse, you're my daughter."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money**

**Chapter 5**

**Unlike Abby, Gibbs gave Buffy time to process what she had just heard. He didn't say anything else, simply watched her reaction.**

**Buffy was stunned for several seconds as her brain tried to comprehend Jethro's words. Her father?**

**Her reaction, when it came, surprised them both. **

**Buffy burst out laughing, and couldn't stop for about a minute. **

**When she started to calm, Gibbs spoke. "There's a possibility either the samples or the DNA they have on file for us have been altered."**

**Buffy's humor left as quickly as it came. "Why would someone do that?"**

**Gibbs gave a small shrug. "I've made a few enemies in my career."**

"**I can't imagine why." Buffy said, sarcasm dripping from her words.**

**Gibbs didn't take offense. He was a bastard and he knew it. "Could be my shining personality." he quipped.**

**Buffy gave a small smile and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."**

"**Don't apologize." Gibbs ordered. "It's a sign of weakness."**

"**Okay, now that the shock has worn off, let's get serious." Buffy said, her face set in a determined line.**

**Gibbs saw the look on Buffy's face and it seemed so familiar to him. His mind automatically started going back to the women he had known 27+ years ago and he barely suppressed a wince. That was back in his younger, much wilder days. He moved around a lot in the Marines and never had any trouble finding a woman or several women anywhere he was stationed.**

**Buffy looked at the man who may be her father. She had to admit, he was a handsome man and if it turned out he was her father, she could totally understand why her mother had been attracted to him.**

"**What was your mother's name?" Gibbs asked softly.**

"**Joyce." Buffy replied. "Her maiden name was Henderson." Buffy paused and looked at him. "Ring any bells?"**

**At the mention of the name, Gibbs went back in time. He had been stationed in San Francisco and was out for a night on the town with his buddies. They were at some bar that he didn't remember the name of, but he remembered Joyce. **

"**Jethro?" Buffy's voice cut through his thoughts.**

**He looked at the young woman again. Yes, he could see it now, the resemblance between Joyce and Buffy. That was why she had seemed so familiar in the warehouse.**

"**It's true then." Buffy said, sounding resigned.**

"**I remember her." Gibbs said. "We met in San Francisco at a bar. I remember she was an art student. Her boyfriend at the time, I think his name was Hank or something like that, had blown her off. She was convinced he was having an affair so she took off for the weekend with her friends and was drowning her sorrows."**

"**She married him." Buffy said. "They divorced when I was 15 and mom and I moved to Sunnydale."**

"**I still want to do more tests to confirm." Jethro said, although he was almost 100% sure he was talking to his daughter.**

**Buffy gave a sad laugh. "Don't worry, Special Agent Gibbs. I haven't had a father for a long time. I'm a grown woman, I don't need anything from you. I'm not even sure why you bothered to tell me about this."**

**Gibbs sat down on the edge of her bed and carefully considered his next words. "I know you don't need me, but maybe I want to get to know my daughter. I spent one weekend with your mother when I was too stupid to know a great thing when it was in front of me. I let her walk away from me then and I missed out on knowing you."**

"**She never told you?"**

**Gibbs shook his head. "I never saw her again after that weekend. Neither one of us was looking for more than that."**

**They were silent for a few moments while Buffy digested the new information. "I knew he wasn't my father." Buffy said suddenly as she focused on Gibbs. "During one fight, right before we left, he said some pretty harsh things to Mom. He implied then that I wasn't his and he was tired of pretending I was. At the time, I just thought he was angry, but after we left he cut me off completely. I was never sure if it was true or if he just convinced himself to make abandoning us easier. Now, I guess he knew what he was talking about all along."**

**Gibbs' phone rang and for once he was tempted not to answer it. **

"**Answer your phone, Agent Gibbs." Buffy said with a small smile. "If there's one thing I've learned, the job doesn't stop just because you have personal issues."**

"**Gibbs." he said.**

**He listened for a moment, snapped his phone shut and turned his attention to Buffy. "I have to get back."**

**Buffy nodded. "I understand."**

"**We're not finished." Gibbs stressed. He reached into his pocket and handed her his card. "You can reach me at any of these numbers."**

"**This had better be important, Ducky." Gibbs said as he entered autopsy.**

"**I think you'll find this most interesting." Ducky replied without looking up from the corpse he was examining. "The odd neck wound that was covered up by slitting her throat seems to have been two puncture wounds. If you look closely at the wounds, you'll see the post-mortem cut wasn't quite deep enough to completely eradicate the initial wounds."**

"**What caused the puncture wounds?" Gibbs demanded.**

"**There are several different things that could have caused it. Was there any indication of animal activity at the scene, by chance?"**

"**No. Are you saying this was done by animals?"**

"**No, only that the wounds are consistent with marks left by some type of canine teeth, being pointed at the end and increasing in diameter as they go up. Human canines aren't long enough to cause puncture wounds this deep."**

"**No animals, Duck. What else could have done it?"**

"**I had a rather strange thought, so I asked Abby a couple of questions. It seems there is a rising trend in certain circles of having caps placed over one's canines to elongate them, sometimes by several centimeters."**

"**Why?"**

"**To emulate vampire teeth, of course." Ducky replied. "There are many cults who embrace the vampire culture, including altering their teeth and drinking human blood."**

"**Are you sure?"**

"**Well, I can't be positive without having something to compare the wounds to, but that is the most likely scenario."**

**Gibbs walked out of autopsy and straight to Abby's lab.**

"**I'm telling you, she's hiding something. She may even have been involved." Ziva told Tony.**

"**I just don't think she was involved." Tony argued.**

"**Why not?" Ziva demanded. "All the signs are there. She's lying about what happened. She lying about not knowing the petty officer and Buffy Summers is alive while the petty officer is dead. Why kill one and not the other? Plus, we can't find any information on her that's more than 5 years old."**

"**Hey, guys, I found something." McGee called to Tony and Ziva who were still arguing about whether or not Buffy Summers was a victim or suspect.**

"**What is it, Probie?" Tony asked.**

"**I found out why I couldn't find anything on Buffy Summers." McGee said. "She wasn't born Buffy Summers. She was born…"**

"**She was born Elizabeth Anne Summers and had her name legally changed to Buffy when she was a teenager." Gibbs finished for him.**

**Tony, Ziva and McGee exchanged looks. One day they would figure out how he did that.**

"**Check the records in LA California. She lived there until she was 15."**

"**I found that, Boss." McGee said. "She's got quite a history. Expelled from school when she was 15 for burning down the gym at her high school. Claimed there were vampires in the gym and she had to kill them. Her parents had her committed for a couple months for the delusions. Shortly after that, her school records were transferred to Sunnydale. I'm still trying to find the backup records from Sunnydale."**

"**So, she has a history of mental instability." Ziva said with a smug look at Tony. "That's very interesting."**

"**Evidently, she did graduate from high school. The university system in California uses a central database and I found a record of her attending classes at UC Sunnydale but she didn't graduate. She only completed one year and dropped out. The town was destroyed a year after that."**

"**The IWC does have a contract with the US, but I still don't know exactly what for. I don't have enough clearance to access the file and not long after I found that out, I got a call from the director telling me to drop it." Tony told Gibbs.**

"**How exactly does one go from college dropout to working for an international company with a top secret contract with the US government?" Ziva asked.**

"**What about the bar?" Gibbs asked.**

**Tony answered. "I flashed Buffy Summers' picture to the bartender. He remembers her being there but isn't sure when she arrived or when she left. Said she was with another woman. I showed him the petty officer's picture and he said it wasn't the woman she was with, but Petty Officer Rhodes was also there, with a man."**

"**Do we know who the mystery man and woman are?"**

"**Not yet, Boss, but we'll find out." Tony answered.**

"**Sooner, rather than later, DiNozzo."**

"**You got it, Boss."**

"**We've got nothing to go on in this case." Ziva complained. "And our only witness is playing deaf, stupid and blind."**

"**That's deaf, dumb and blind, Ziva." McGee corrected. **

"**I want to bring Buffy Summers in for questioning." Ziva said as she turned to face Gibbs.**

"**No." Gibbs replied in a voice that dared anyone to argue.**

**Ziva, however, ignored the tone. "She's not being honest with us. She knows something she's not telling and with her history, I think she needs to be questioned more thoroughly."**

"**I said, no, Ziva."**

"**Why not?"**

"**She didn't kill Petty Officer Rhodes."**

"**Maybe not personally, but I think she knows who did. She's our only lead. I want a crack at her."**

**Gibbs stood up from his desk. "The only person that will be questioning Ms. Summers is me. Is that clear, Ziva?"**

"**Crystal." Ziva bit out. "But can we at least know why?"**

"**Ziva's right, Boss." Tony said. "You seem to be very protective of this woman. If this were any other suspect you'd be bringing her in."**

"**She's not a suspect, DiNozzo."**

"**Then what is she, Gibbs?" Ziva demanded. "She's not just an innocent victim in all this."**

**Gibbs looked each of them in eye before focusing on Ziva. "She's my daughter."**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money

Chapter 6

Buffy stared at the TV not even noticing what was on for a long time after Gibbs left and she got rid of the attorney. While she put on good front for Gibbs, she was not dealing well with his little revelation. She had suspected for years Hank wasn't her real father, but suspecting and knowing were two different things.

This complicated her life in a way she didn't need right now. She had a feeling he would be very, very good at his job and that was bad for her. Right now, he was living in happy ignorance of her world. Father or not, did she have the right to drag him into the madness that was her life? And, if he was her father and word got out, would that put him danger?

Oh, God! Dawn!

Buffy shook her head. This wouldn't go over well. They dealt with the whole 'Key' issue years ago, but if Gibbs was her father, he was also Dawn's father.

Buffy opened the cell phone Mr. Ray had given her and dialed a number. He had assured her this cell phone was top of the line and was encrypted and untraceable.

"Hey, Wills." Buffy said when the witch picked up.

"Buffy! Did the lawyer show up? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, the lawyer was here. As for alright, maybe not. Another NCIS agent was here this morning."

"You were expecting that." Willow said, a little confused.

"I was expecting questions about the warehouse, but that's not what he was here for."

"What did he want?" Willow asked.

"According to him and his lab, I'm his daughter. He spent a weekend with my mom in San Francisco once when Mom was fighting with Hank."

"Do you believe him?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Well, on the scale of weird you have to admit this doesn't even make the top 10."

Buffy gave a small laugh. "You're right, but the shock factor was pretty high. To be honest, Wills, I've suspected something like this for years. I just never thought it would be confirmed."

"What do need me to do?" Willow asked, her tone telling Buffy anything she needed, Willow would provide.

"He admits to knowing my mom, but he also said he'd made a few enemies in his career and it was possible the records or the samples had been tampered with."

Willow shook her head before remembering Buffy couldn't see her. "It's possible but highly unlikely. The government has security out the wazoo on their computers."

"Yeah, I guessed that. I want you to dig up everything you can find on him. Make sure he doesn't have any connections with our world. I believe him but I need to make sure this isn't a set up."

"I can do that. What's his name?"

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

"Did his parents hate him?"

Buffy smiled. "Some people say the same thing about my name."

"True, but your name suits you."

"So does his."

"Are you going to tell Dawn?" Willow asked, her concern evident.

"I guess I have to." Buffy said. "But, I'm not looking forward to it."

"Well, then. I have good news. She's in Africa right now with Xander. Their next check in isn't for another 48 hours. So, you're safe until then."

"Tell her to call me when she checks in and give her this new cell number."

"Say the word and I'll be there with you." Willow told her.

"I would love to have you here, but I really don't think that's a good idea right now. They're going to be examining my life and my friends under a microscope until this case is cleared up."

"What did happen Buffy? You were kind of vague the other night."

"The petty officer was killed by a vampire, but it's more complicated than that. The vamp had friends, human and vampire. I dusted all but two of the vamps but not before they killed the woman. I thought the man was another victim until he hit me with a 2 x 4. I was lucky it was so close to sunrise. They thought I was dead when I hit the wall the last time so they high tailed it out before the sun came up."

"Who was the man?"

"I don't know yet, but if the vamps are working with humans, something big is going down."

"I hear that." Willow agreed. "When are they going to let you out of the hospital?"

"I'm checking myself out against doctor's advice today. My ribs are healed and if they take any more x-rays they'll find that out which will open a whole new can of worms."

"Be careful, Buffy. Let Melinda help you. She's a fairly young slayer, but she's very good."

"I actually met with her the other night about this recruiting gig. I'm going to ask her if she'll take it over so I can concentrate on this."

Meanwhile, back at the office…

After Gibbs dropped his bombshell, Ziva stared at him in horror, McGee's mouth dropped open and Tony choked on the coffee he was drinking.

Ziva was the first to recover. "And you're just now telling us?"

Gibbs gave her a look. "I just found out a couple of hours ago."

"Does she know?" Tony asked.

"She does now." Gibbs answered.

He looked around at his team, the closest thing to family he's had in years. "She didn't do this and we have to find out who did. As long as the killer is out there, she's in danger."

"Don't you think you're being a little biased?" Ziva asked him. "Sometimes we're blind when it comes to family."

Gibbs knew the last remark was about Ari, Ziva's half-brother. She had refused to see the truth about him until it was almost too late.

"I'm well aware of that, Ziva." he answered. "But, as of right now, we have absolutely no evidence she had anything to do with this."

"What's the plan, Boss?" Tony asked. In a way, Tony agreed with Ziva. Gibbs couldn't possibly be objective about this case but he trusted Gibbs' integrity. Tony knew Gibbs would do the right thing, he didn't doubt that for a moment. Because of that trust, he would follow Gibbs' lead.

"I'm going back to hospital to talk to her again. Tony, Ziva, go back to the bar and try to find someone who can identify our mystery man and woman. McGee, anything on those phone records?"

"Still looking, Boss. We might never find it if she borrowed a cell phone from someone."

"Keep looking."

"Special Agent Gibbs," came a feminine voice from above him. Gibbs looked up and saw Jenny looking down at him. "I need to speak with you for a moment, in my office."

Gibbs was impatient. "Can't it wait?"

Jenny tamped down on her temper. "No, it can't. My office, now."

Everyone on the team pretended to be engrossed in what they doing when Gibbs looked around.

When Gibbs jogged up the stairs to the director's office, all three started talking at once.

"What is it, director." Gibbs said as he walked into her office. "I'm a little busy at the moment."

"Why was Tony running a search on IWC?" Jenny asked.

"The surviving witness at the warehouse says she works for them." Gibbs answered.

"She told them that?"

"Yeah, she did. She also told them they didn't have clearance to know anything more."

"They don't, Jethro. I don't even have enough clearance to find out exactly what these people do. Its strictly need to know."

"It's possible whatever it is relates to my crime scene, so I need to know."

"Sorry, Jethro. My hands are tied on this one. In fact, It's been suggested, strongly suggested, you drop this case all together."

Gibbs was stunned. "Drop it? Why?"

"Whoever the IWC are, they have a lot of pull. My sources tell me any case involving the IWC is closed as unsolved almost immediately."

"And what do you think?"

"I think you'd better solve this one quickly before the order to drop it comes down."

"How long."

"Not more than 24 hours."

"Jenny, I have to finish this one, orders or no orders."

Jenny raised her eyebrow. "I'm surprised, Jethro. Buffy Summers is a little young for you and she isn't even a red head."

Gibbs gave her a disgusted look. "She's my daughter, Jen. I just found out from the DNA Abby ran from the warehouse."

Jenny was aware there was a lot about Gibbs' past she didn't know and would never know. When she found out about his first wife and daughter and what happened to them, she'd been beyond shocked. This hit her just about as hard.

"Daughter?"

"I won't let this one go. I can't."

"Then I suggest you get to work. I'll hold them off as long as I can."

Author's Note: No, I didn't break the news to Willow the same as the others. The reason for this is simple, Willow and the other scoobies have been in way stranger situations than this. Like Willow said, this doesn't even make the top 10 compared to finding our your boyfriend is a vampire or werewolf or you sister is a mystical key or turning into your costume on Halloween. Yes, Buffy got quite a shock but she can deal with it. As for Dawn, she's my least favorite character and I'm not looking forward to writing her reaction. She's one character who I could never understand, so I put it off for a few chapters.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money

Chapter 7

Downstairs the discussion continued…

"I'm going to back Gibbs on this." Tony announced.

"I'm not saying we don't back him." Ziva argued. "I'm saying he is going to see what he wants to see and ignore anything he doesn't like."

"You don't seem to have much confidence in Gibbs." McGee observed.

"Gibbs is one of the best men I know." Ziva retorted. "But, when you involve family, even the best man's perception can be skewed."

"Gibbs is right though." McGee said. "We don't have any evidence that she's done anything wrong."

"Yeah, Ziva." Tony said. "You act like you want her to be guilty."

Ziva threw up her hands. "I don't want her to be guilty. You're missing my point completely."

"You still here?" Gibbs demanded as he came down the stairs.

"Just leaving, Boss." Tony said as he stood up and grabbed his jacket and Ziva headed for the elevator.

Gibbs made it to the elevator before Ziva. "We need to talk, Gibbs." Ziva said quietly as she walked up beside him.

"We will. Later."

Gibbs noticed his mood getting lighter the closer he got to the hospital. He was looking forward to talking to Buffy again. He wanted to get this case closed, make sure she was out of danger and spend some time getting to know his daughter.

His good mood was shattered when he walked into her hospital room to find it empty.

"Where's Buffy Summers?" He asked the nurse at the desk.

"She checked herself out about an hour ago against doctor's orders."

"Did she leave with someone?"

"Her attorney picked her up." the nurse said.

Gibbs was fuming as he walked back to his car.

"McGee!" Gibbs yelled into his phone. "I need the address of an attorney named Daniel Ray."

McGee quickly gave him the information and Gibbs hung up before McGee could ask any questions.

Gibbs broke every driving law on the books on the way to the attorney's office.

He walked into the plush offices and flashed his badge at the receptionist. "Special Agent Gibbs with NCIS. I need to see Daniel Ray right now. What office is he in?"

"Down the hall, last door on the right, but he's on a conference call right now."

Gibbs ignored her as he strode down the hall and pushed the door open.

"Giles, I'm afraid I'm going to have to call you back." Mr. Ray said. "I seem to have company."

"I look forward to hearing back from you, Daniel." Gibbs heard the British voice say before the connection was severed.

"Agent Gibbs." Daniel said politely. "What can I do for you today?"

"Where is she?" Gibbs demanded.

"Ms. Summers? She called me earlier today and asked me to pick her up at the hospital. I picked her up and took her to her hotel."

"Will she be there when I get there?"

"I'm sure I don't know, Agent Gibbs. I am her attorney, not her keeper."

Gibbs gave Daniel his famous glare. "If she's not there, I'm coming back here and I won't leave until you tell me where she is."

Gibbs left the office after his parting shot and headed for Freedom Hotel.

Daniel picked up his phone after Gibbs left the building. "Ms. Summers? Daniel here. Special Agent Gibbs was just here looking for you."

"What did you tell him?" Buffy asked as she packed her suitcase. She had been hoping it to have a little more time before they started looking for her.

"I told him I dropped you off at your hotel. He's on his way there now."

Buffy glanced at her watch. "I should be gone by the time he gets here."

"I don't think that's a very good idea. He told me if you weren't there, he was coming back to my office and wasn't leaving until I told him where you are."

"Fine. I'll be here."

A few minutes later there was a knock on her door.

Buffy opened the door and said, "You made good time, Agent Gibbs."

"I told you to call me Jethro."

Buffy gave him a small smile and gestured for him to come in. Even now, even with someone she knew, she never gave a verbal invitation.

"Why did you leave the hospital?" Gibbs asked after she shut the door.

"I don't like hospitals." Buffy answered honestly. "It's a childhood trauma."

"You were almost dead when we found you yesterday."

Buffy shrugged. "I heal fast and I would have be in a lot worse shape than this to stay in a hospital."

"I need to ask you a few more questions about the case."

"My attorney has advised me not to answer any more questions without him present."

"Have you done something to need him present?" Gibbs asked seriously.

"No, I haven't." Buffy looked him in the eye when she answered. "Let's just say, I haven't had the best experiences with law enforcement and leave it at that."

"I'm not law enforcement." Gibbs protested softly. "I'm your father."

"Jethro, don't do this." Buffy answered just as softly. " Don't jeopardize your career for this. You don't know me or anything about me. For all you know, I could be capable of committing murder."

"You didn't do this." Jethro was confident.

"No, I didn't." Buffy agreed. "But that isn't the point."

"I think it's the most important point." Jethro argued.

"And if I told you I don't remember anything after the bar, what would you say?" She demanded.

"I would ask who you were protecting."

"And if I said myself?" she challenged.

"What are you protecting yourself from?"

"I'm sorry, Jethro. By now you know the company I work for is top secret and you've probably been told to back off. The very fact you haven't means you're even more stubborn than most people I know."

"I'm just doing my job. If I stop now, Petty Officer Rhodes' killer will never be found and will never pay for what he did. I can't allow that to happen."

Buffy had to bite her tongue to keep from telling him the petty officer's killer was already burning in hell, that she had arrived a few moments too late to save the woman but in time to dust the vampire that drained her.

"It's not up to you. By this time tomorrow you will have been ordered to close this case."

"Doesn't mean I will."

Buffy sent a sharp look his way. "Disobeying a direct order? That could get you into a lot of trouble."

"I've been there before."

Buffy gave a small bark of laughter. "I guess that's where I get it from."

"If you don't always obey orders, why won't you tell me about your job and what it has to do with what happened at the warehouse."

Buffy sighed. "In this case, there's a good reason for the orders."

"Like letting a murderer go free? 'Cause I gotta tell you, I don't think that's a good reason at all."

Buffy knew he was trying to goad her into revealing something but it wasn't going to work. She was determined not to bring him into her world. After all, she had lived with her mother and kept it from her for a couple of years. How hard could it be to keep it from a man she would probably have very limited contact with? The minute she thought it, she gave herself a mental head slap. She knew better than to even think things like that. It always came back to bite her in the ass.

She opened her mouth to speak but he beat her to it. "Don't say you're sorry again." he barked, his voice full of irritation.

"Fine, I won't say it." Buffy said, her own temper starting to spark. "I will say I don't like it any better than you do, but we all have our jobs to do."

"What happens if this guy finds out you didn't die and comes after you?" Gibbs demanded loudly.

"I know you don't have any reason to, but you need to trust me when I tell you that won't happen." Buffy said, trying to keep her voice even. Nothing would be gained by a screaming match.

"Trust you?" Gibbs was incredulous. "How can I trust you? You won't let me in."

"I can't tell you! Don't you get that?" Buffy demanded, her intentions of keeping this civil completely out the window.

"No, you won't tell me." Gibbs shot back. "There's a difference! This guy tried to kill you. Don't you get that?"

"Don't you dare talk to me like a child!"

"I'm trying to protect you, dammit!"

"I don't need your protection. I've been taking of myself for a long time."

"I just found you." Gibbs said, lowering his voice to a normal tone. "I can't lose you."

Buffy took a breath. "I won't change who I am, Jethro."

"I'm not asking you to."

"If this is going to work, you're going to have to understand there are just some things I can't tell you."

"Even when it puts you in danger?"

Buffy nodded. "Even then."

"I don't know if I can do that." Gibbs answered honestly.

Buffy was blunt. "It's that or nothing. I work for an organization that has a top secret contract with the United States government. You're a smart man and good agent. So, what do you think I do? Do you think I sit at a desk all day and push papers? You're too smart for that. You have to know my job involves risk, even if you don't know what that risk entails."

"I don't like it."

"I'm not asking you to." Buffy answered. "Anymore than you're asking me to like the fact you lay your life on the line everyday with your job."

Gibbs couldn't dispute her reasoning. There were no guarantees, for any of them.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money

Chapter 8

"Gibbs isn't going to like this." McGee told Ziva.

"What have you got?" She asked.

"I found the back up records from Sunnydale. Seems Buffy Summers was questioned in several incidents, including the murder of teenage boy not long after she arrived in Sunnydale. She was also under suspicion for the theft of a rocket launcher from a military base just outside Sunnydale. Questioned in numerous incidents involving gang activity. Never charged with anything."

"Never?" Ziva questioned.

"Never." McGee confirmed. "And top it all off, her high school exploded during her graduation. Reports say it was a gas leak."

"Is Agent Gibbs here yet?" Jenny said as she walked over to McGee's desk.

"Not yet, Director." McGee answered.

"I need to see him as soon as he arrives." Jenny said.

"I'll let him know." Ziva said.

"What do you think that's about?" McGee asked after Jenny walked away.

"I think this is the end of our investigation." Ziva said.

"Gibbs won't go for that." McGee said.

"He may not have any choice." Ziva answered.

The elevator dinged and Gibbs stepped off, complete with his coffee.

"The Director wants to see you." Ziva said as he walked by.

Gibbs didn't answer, but Ziva noticed the tight set of his shoulders as he made his way up the stairs.

"I just got the notice." Jenny said before he had a chance to speak. "We have been ordered to cease all investigations into the death of Petty Officer Rhoades."

"You know I can't do that." Gibbs told her.

"You don't have a choice." Jenny told him. "I don't have a choice. This came from way up, Jethro."

Gibb didn't say anything else. He knew arguing with her at this point wouldn't do any good. Didn't mean he would stop, but there were some things the Director just didn't need to know.

Tony was putting on his tie and getting ready to walk out the door of his apartment to go to work when the doorbell rang.

He opened the door expecting some kind of salesman. What greeted him was a small, brunette woman who couldn't have been more than 25 years old.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"I doubt it." The woman retorted. "But there are those who are hoping I can help you."

"Help me? How?"

"I've been told you're having trouble making a decision on our offer." she replied.

Understanding dawned on Tony's face and then he frowned. "And exactly how are you supposed to help me?" he asked, then his playful, flirty side came out to play. "Are you supposed to be one of the perks?" he added with a leer.

The look on the woman's face quickly turned to anger.

"And that would be a no." Tony said, having been watching her expression.

"I'm not a perk." she said in a tightly controlled voice.

"So, what are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?" she countered.

"No," Tony said. "I have to go to work and if I'm late my boss will have my ass."

"Can we meet later?"

"I don't get off until late." Tony warned.

The woman shrugged. "Doesn't matter, I'll be out and about. How about that little coffee shop down the street? Say around 9?"

Tony nodded. "Okay, I'll meet you there."

"See you then." She said and turned to walk away.

"Wait a minute." Tony called after her. "What's your name?"

The brunette turned with a smile. "Melinda."

Gibbs came back down the stairs and looked around at his crew.

"Where's Tony?" he barked.

"Not here yet, Boss." McGee answered.

"You need to get your facts straight, Probie." Tony said as he walked up behind Gibbs. "I'm right here."

"We've been ordered to cease our investigation into Petty Officer Rhodes death." Gibbs announced.

Everyone had been expecting this so it wasn't a shock. Tony was the one who asked what they were all thinking. "What now, Boss?"

"Now, we don't get caught." Gibbs responded. "What do we have?"

"I found the information from Sunnydale, but you're not going to like it." McGee said.

"Give it to me." Gibbs ordered.

McGee gave Gibbs the same spiel he had given Ziva earlier while carefully watching his expression. To his surprise, Gibbs didn't seem shocked by what he was hearing.

"Anything else?" Gibbs asked when he was finished.

"I went through the credit card receipts from the bar." Ziva said. "One of those receipts was from Buffy Summers' credit card. There was no receipt for Petty Officer Rhodes."

"So, I cross-referenced the other names with people who knew or worked with Petty Officer Rhodes and found a name. Lieutenant David Spears. He works in the supply receiving office same as Petty Officer Rhodes."

"What do we know about him?" Gibbs asked.

"Enlisted 6 years ago. Average soldier, no major reprimands in his file. The worst was a UA about 2 years ago when he claims he had cleared the day off with his CO."

"We were going to talk to him this morning." Ziva added.

"You still can." Gibbs said. "You're looking into the possible use of a date rape drug by someone in the bar that night."

"Date rape drug?" Tony asked.

"Petty Officer Rhodes' tox screen came back with traces of Rohypnol in her system."

"What about Buffy's blood work?" Tony asked. "Anything there?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Don't know yet. They won't release her information without a warrant. So, Abby is running her own tests from the blood collected at the warehouse."

"Did she give you any new information when you talked to her?" Ziva asked.

"She told me to drop the investigation." Gibbs answered.

"So, she is hiding something." Ziva sounded victorious.

"Drop it, Ziva." Gibbs demanded.

"You wouldn't drop it." Ziva accused. "I'm sorry, but she knows more than she's telling us and you're letting her get away with it because she's your daughter. Do you really want to find out who killed the petty officer or do you just want to protect Buffy?"

"Conference room." Gibbs bit out, his face set in a hard line.

Ziva put a front of being confident and defiant and she followed Gibbs to the elevator, but inside she was wondering if she had pushed him too far with her last comment.

The elevator doors closed and Gibbs hit the emergency stop button. The lights dimmed and he turned to Ziva.

"Is this about Ari?" he demanded.

"This has nothing to do with him." Ziva denied.

"The hell it doesn't." Gibbs retorted. "You've been convinced she was guilty every since you found out she's my daughter."

"No, I thought she was hiding something before I found out."

"And now?"

"Now, I'm convinced she had something to do with the murder."

"You think my daughter is a murderer?" Gibbs voice was deceptively calm.

"You're not being objective." Ziva argued again. "I know you just found her but have you even listened to the facts?"

"There is no evidence against her."

"We have more than you had against Ari." Ziva argued.

"I knew it." Gibbs sounded victorious this time. "This is about Ari."

"No, its not. It was simply a comparable situation."

"There is no comparison." Gibbs growled. "Ari was guilty, Buffy's not."

"I was convinced of Ari's innocence too." Ziva reminded him.

"So, because he was a murderer you want Buffy to be one too?" Gibbs accused.

"NO! I don't want her to be guilty. I want you to consider the possibility that she might be instead of sticking your face in the sand."

"It's sticking your head in the sand, Ziva." Gibbs corrected.

Ziva was almost to the point of screaming. "Whatever the expression is…"

"I know what you're saying." Gibbs said. "But, my gut is telling me she didn't do anything wrong. I agree she's not telling us everything, but there's a reason for that. You've worked enough top secret assignments to know the score."

"I just want you to keep an open mind." Ziva reiterated.

"Can you do the same?" Gibbs questioned as he hit the button to start the elevator.

Buffy walked down the street toward the demon bar Melinda had told her about. She'd been questioning the local nightlife all day and she still didn't know who the mystery human at the warehouse was. He was the key, she was sure of it.

The door of the bar was at the end of a dead end alley, down several steps, in the basement of a condemned building. Not a place you were likely to stumble on by accident.

The interior looked like every other demon bar she had come across complete with the different varieties of demons that sat in small groups drinking and talking.

The talking ceased when the inhabitants saw her. Buffy ignored them and walked up to the bartender, a small, greasy man who could have been Willy's brother.

"What can I do for you, Slayer?" he said nervously.

"I need some information." she answered. "There's a human working with a group of vamps. I need his name."

"You put me in a bad position." the guy said. "I can't go around ratting out my customers."

"If you don't tell me what I need to know, I will put you in a very uncomfortable position. Maybe something resembling a pretzel."

"Hey now! No need to get violent." Mr. Greasy protested. "Truth is, I don't know his name. I've seen him around with Victor but never heard a name."

"Victor the vamp trying to sire the whole city?" Buffy asked.

"I wouldn't know about that. All I know is your boy is some kind of military. Saw him one day with those camouflage clothes on."

Buffy turned to the patrons. "Anybody got a name for me?"

No one said anything. She thought she could probably beat it out of somebody, but all his buddies would probably jump in and considering there were 20 demons in the bar, she didn't like the odds. Besides these guys weren't the planning type, they were the muscle and the henchmen. They may not know any names if the bad guys were trying to keep things under the radar.

"Think about guys." she said as she walked toward the door. "I'll be back to see if anyone remembers anything."

Buffy left the bar with no more answers than she had going in. At least she knew the guy was military, but that was more than half of the male population around here. She was going to have to get access to the military's database somehow.

She made a couple of side trips through cemeteries on her way home and found a couple of vampires and the odd demon to work out some of her frustration on. As a result, it was pretty late when she got home.

She walked into the hotel physically and mentally exhausted but that had been her objective. Hopefully she had worked off enough frustration to be able to sleep.

Gibbs sat in his blue Dodge Charger about half a block from Buffy's hotel and watched her go in the front door. He took a sip of his coffee and settled in to spend a long night in his car.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money

Chapter 9

Earlier that evening…

Melinda was sitting at a small two-seat table sipping a latte when Tony walked in the door. He made his way through the crowd to the back of the coffee shop and sat down with Melinda

"I see you made it." she said with no expression, just a simple statement of fact.

"It's not often I turn down an invitation from a beautiful woman." Tony said showing off his flirty smile.

"You can drop the playboy persona." Melinda told him. "I'm not interested and that's not why you're here."

Tony's smile disappeared. "Then tell me why I am here?"

"A mutual associate made you an offer. He thought maybe I could help you decide."

"You've said that already. Now, tell me something I haven't heard."

"I know you weren't given much information. I'm here to answer what questions I can."

Tony was incredulous. "Much information? How about no information! Some guy shows up at my door and tells me they want me for a top secret operation but refuses to tell me anything about what the assignment entails."

"That's why it's called a top secret operation." Melinda answer sounded catty even to her.

"How do I know this is even legit?" Tony asked. "Yeah, he had credentials I've only heard about but there's nothing out there that can't be forged."

"We're the real deal, Tony." Melinda said. "There are only a handful of people within a thousand miles that know exactly what we do."

"And what is that, exactly"

Melinda smiled. "Sorry, I can't tell you that. There are some things no one can tell you until you accept the assignment and go through the non-disclosure process."

What Melinda didn't say is the 'non-disclosure' process wasn't the typical sign the forms and be done, but a counsel witch who put a geas on the person so they couldn't discuss IWC business with anyone except someone who already knew.

"What I can tell you," Melinda continued, "is that we are the good guys and we go after the bad guys. I don't see it as being much different than what you do now."

"Why me?" Tony was genuinely curious.

Melinda looked him in the eye when she answered. "We've been watching you for a while. Despite your playboy attitude, we think you have something to contribute to our organization. We actually put off approaching you because of another operation you were running."

"She was not an operation." Tony growled.

"Looked that way to us." Melinda responded, surprised by his response. She had honestly been expecting another sexist remark.

"I'm outta here." Tony said, standing up.

Tony heard Melinda curse and then she stood up and grabbed his arm. "Wait." she said.

"I don't think so." Tony said. "You may be beautiful but you're not worth hanging around for."

Melinda watched him walk away. He was out the door before she decided to go after him.

She caught up with him about half a block from the coffee shop. "Wait!" She said as she ran up beside him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

Tony didn't relent. "No, you shouldn't." he didn't stop walking but she did. Tony took several more steps before turning back to her. "I think you can tell your people I've made my choice." He didn't say anything else, just turned around and continued walking down the street.

"Shit." Melinda muttered as she turned around. "I knew this was a bad idea. I never should have agreed to do this." Melinda kept talking out loud to herself as walked down the street waving her arms like an insane person as she argued with herself. Suddenly a thought hit her and she stopped walking and groaned "Dammit! Buffy's going to kill me. Dammit."

"Would that be Buffy Summers." a voice said from behind her.

Melinda whirled around, shocked he'd been able to sneak up on her. That shouldn't have happened. She was a slayer. 'Yeah, you're a slayer' a little voice in head reminded her. 'A slayer who was thinking about what The Slayer was going to do to her when she found out how badly you fucked up.

"It's not a good idea to sneak up on people." Melinda told Tony who was smirking at her.

"I like to live dangerously." Tony joked. Suddenly, he was serious again. "What's Buffy Summers got to do with any of this?"

"I never said her last name was Summers." Melinda denied.

Tony wasn't buying it. "Yeah, 'cause Buffy is such a common name." You could almost see the sarcasm dripping from his words.

Melinda decided to change tactics. "Have you reconsidered?" she countered.

"Depends." Tony said. "Are you with IWC?"

Melinda shook her head. "I can't tell you that."

"Which is as good as admitting it." Tony surmised. "I'll give it some more consideration."

He walked away without giving her a chance to answer.

Present time…

Gibbs saw the man walking toward the car in the rear view mirror. His hand went to his gun before he recognized the stride. His hand eased off his weapon just as the passenger door opened.

Tony quickly sat down in the car and closed the door. He offered the cup he was holding to Gibbs.

Gibbs grabbed it and took a long drink.

They sat in silence for several minutes before Gibbs spoke. "What's on your mind, DiNozzo?" he asked.

"I need to talk to you, Boss."

"I'm right here." Gibbs answered. "Start talking."

Tony took a breathe and began. "A couple of nights ago the guy showed up at my door…"

Gibbs listened without comment as Tony told his story.

He didn't speak until he knew Tony was done. "Why didn't you come to me?" he asked.

"This guy said it was top secret." Tony said with a sigh. "I wanted to tell you but if I decided not to accept this offer, what would be the point?"

"The point would be someone trying to steal one of my agents out from under me." Gibbs said in a deceptively calm voice.

"It gets worse." Tony admitted and went on to tell him about the meeting with Melinda. He didn't hesitate until he got to the part about Melinda knowing Buffy.

Tony hesitated, not knowing how Gibbs would take this. "Spit it out, DiNozzo. " Gibbs demanded.

"I think she's with IWC." Tony said cautiously. "She mentioned someone named Buffy but wouldn't give me a last name."

"Not a lot of Buffys around." Gibbs commented.

"No, there's not." Tony agreed.

"How did you leave it?"

"Told her I'd think about it some more." Tony answered.

Gibbs was silent.

"Boss," Tony began, not really knowing how to say what was on his mind.

"I know, Tony." Gibbs answered as he turned to look at him.

"I'm not leaving." Tony told the older man.

"You're hoping to get some more information from her." it wasn't a question.

"Exactly." Tony said.

Gibbs drank his coffee while they sat together in silence watching the hotel.

On the third floor, in her hotel room, Buffy Summers couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned and at 3 am, she was still wide awake.

Irritated at her inability to sleep, she threw back the covers and sat up in the bed. She looked at the clock. It would be 8 am in England. She could call Willow. No, she decided. If she called now, Willow would think something was wrong and there wasn't, not really. She just couldn't get Jethro out of her mind. She was everything she had always wished Hank could be. He was concerned about her welfare. He wanted her to be safe. He didn't back down from her temper and was almost brutally honest with her. He knew she was keeping secrets and wasn't demanding she tell him everything.

A light bulb went off in her head. True, she didn't know Jethro very well, but he seemed like the type who wouldn't give up. Which meant she would have to be on the look out for any surveillance? Buffy smiled. Let the games begin.

Ziva was staring at her computer screen, unable to believe what she was reading. Her own people were telling her to drop it! The email she was reading told her the IWC was a respected organization and she should drop any and all investigations that involved them. Her father was the director and they wouldn't tell her anything. She couldn't believe it, which just made her all the more determined to find out everything she could about IWC.

With a determined look on her face, she began typing an email to one of her contacts she hadn't used in years. If anyone could or would tell her what she needed to know, Calli would be the one to tell her.

Around 5 am Buffy's phone rang. Since she was already up, she answered it on the second ring.

"Hello?" She said.

"Hey, it's Willow. I didn't wake you up did I?"

"No, I was up."

"Good." Willow sounded relieved. "I forgot how much of a time difference there was until I'd already dialed. I started to hang up, but I thought I shouldn't do that because you might think something was wrong and then you would be all worried and stuff…"

"Its okay, Willow." Buffy soothed, trying to get the babble to stop. "What's up?"

"I got the information you wanted on Special Agent Gibbs." Willow said. "The good news is, he's never had any contact with our world. He's arrested a few demons that could and did pass as human but as far as I can tell he's never had any involvement with the supernatural."

"What's the bad news?" Buffy asked.

"The bad news is in his background check." Willow answered. "He's had a very distinguished career but his personal life leaves a lot to be desired."

"And?" Buffy urged.

"He's been married four times." Willow told her. "His first wife, Shannon, and his daughter, Kelly, were killed in a car fire when he was serving overseas. A drug lord was suspected but never charged. Not long after Agent Gibbs found out, he was injured in combat and was in a coma for several weeks. Unconfirmed reports have him tracking down their murderer and killing him in Mexico. He was a sniper in the Marines so I agree with the reports. He hunted this drug dealer down and killed him."

"I had another sister?" Buffy's voice was confused.

"Yeah," Willow admitted. "She was only 7 when she was killed."

"But the guy that killed her is dead?"

"His body has never been found, but he dropped completely out of sight not long after Gibbs returned to the states."

Buffy nodded her approval. Her destiny was to fight the supernatural, but she knew she could go human hunting under certain circumstances.

"What about the other three wives?"

"Divorced all of them. None of them lasted very long."

"They didn't measure up." Buffy surmised, mostly to herself.

"I'll email you the complete report." Willow told her. "Oh, by the way, Dawn's check in is tomorrow. Do you still want her to call you?"

Buffy sighed. "Yeah, if she can. I might as well get this over with."

"She's going to want to visit." Willow warned her.

"I know." Buffy acknowledged. "I'll just have to convince her not to."

Willow laughed. "You do remember who she's related to, right?"

"Don't worry, I'll deal with Dawn." Buffy said with more confidence than she felt. "How long is her trip to Africa supposed to last anyway?"

"Only another couple weeks." Willow answered. "They're checking out reports of a couple of slayers in some of the more remote tribes."

"That's good." Buffy told her. "That gives me some leverage. She won't leave until they find those slayers."

"What's your next move? Have you found the human partner yet?"

"No," Buffy had to admit. "Either he's keeping a very low profile or the locals are too scared to talk. The only thing I know is he's probably in the military."

Willow considered that for a moment. "It will take me some time to get into the database without getting caught." she finally said.

"I know. I'm trying to figure out another way."

"What about that potential operative you were going to talk to?" Willow asked.

"I put Melinda in contact with the recruiter. She's taking over that part. I don't even know his name, much less if he'll sign on. I was supposed to get his dossier the day after the attack in the warehouse. Melinda should have an update for me in the morning."

"If he signs on, you'll have your access."

"Yeah, let's hope Melinda can convince him."


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money

Chapter 10

Melinda felt like she was going to an execution as she walked to Buffy's hotel. She was trying to figure out what she was going to say. 'Hey, I screwed up and now our potential recruit is pissed.' was probably the fastest way to get killed.

"That's her, Boss." Tony said as he watched the girl walk down the street toward Buffy's hotel.

"Melinda?" Gibbs half asked, half told.

Tony nodded his affirmative. "She was talking about your Buffy."

Gibbs was silent as he contemplated the situation. "Follow her when she leaves." Gibbs ordered. "I want to know where she goes and what she does."

"What about you, Boss?"

Gibbs didn't answer. Instead, his pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Good morning." he said. "Are you free for breakfast?"

Buffy quickly considered her answer. "What kind of breakfast?" she asked. "Work related or personal?"

"Personal." Gibbs answered.

"I can do that." Buffy said as she heard a knock on her door. "Someone's at the door. I gotta go."

"I'll pick you up in an hour." Gibbs said and disconnected.

He looked over at Tony. "Your girl knocked on Buffy's door while we were talking."

"Hey, Buffy." Melinda said nervously as she stood outside the door.

Buffy cocked an eyebrow and motioned Melinda in.

She waited until she shut the door before she asked. "What happened?"

Melinda winced. "I screwed up."

"How?"

"Tony, the recruit, was running an operation on a woman, which is why we didn't approach him sooner. He has a reputation as being an ass where women are concerned and I assumed this operation had been his dream job. You know, get paid to seduce a woman."

"But it wasn't?" Buffy said.

Melinda shook her head. "Evidently not, he got really mad at me when I brought it up and walked out of the meeting."

"Did you go after him?" Buffy asked.

"I did and he was still mad, so I decided to let him go and give him some cooling off time."

"Okay, that's bad but not horrible. So, what's the big screw up?"

Melinda hesitated about 30 seconds and only spoke when she saw Buffy was about to blow. "I was kind of talking to myself out loud as I was walking and didn't realize he was behind me. I was wondering what I was going to tell you and I said your name out loud."

Buffy was still confused. "So, what?"

Now it was Melinda's turn to be confused. "He knows you." Melinda said. "He asked me if I was talking about Buffy Summers. I didn't tell him, of course"

Buffy quickly put the pieces together. The recruit was an NCIS agent, she knew that much. If he knew her name he must be involved in the warehouse investigation, which would put him on Jethro's team.

"Shit!" Buffy exclaimed and Melinda cringed. "What's his name?" Buffy demanded.

"Anthony DiNozzo."

Buffy remembered the agent at the hospital. She had met her recruit and not realized it.

"I'm really sorry, Buffy." Melinda said, her voice full of guilt. "I really messed up."

"Yeah, you messed up." Buffy told her. "It probably wouldn't be so bad, but he's on the team that investigated the warehouse incident." Buffy wasn't prepared to go into the whole 'Gibbs is my father' situation.

Melinda's eyes widened. "What do we do now? He knows you work for IWC so he knows who's offering the job."

"It's worse than that." Buffy told her. "By now he's told his boss."

"I'm sorry." Melinda said again. "What do you want me to do?"

Buffy was thoughtful for a few moments. "I'll take care of it." She finally said and looked at Melinda. "I know this was a first for you and you've not been trained for it. However, you may be called on to do some more recruiting in the future, so learn from this."

Melinda nodded enthusiastically. "I will."

"Good. Now get out of here." Buffy said, not unkindly. "I'm sure you've got better things to do with your day."

"I've got class today." Melinda told her. "I just wanted to give you the low down."

'Exactly one hour.' Buffy thought when she heard the knock.

"Good morning, Jethro." Buffy said with a smile when she opened the door.

"Morning."

"Let me grab my purse and we can go." Buffy said.

"So, where are we going?" Buffy asked as they stepped into the elevator.

"There's a little greasy spoon not far from here if that's okay."

"Sounds good."

"So, you're not one of these health nuts?" he asked.

"Far from it." Buffy told him.

Gibbs smiled, "Good."

Talk was minimal as they drove to the diner.

The diner was named, simply, "Pops". It was a small building surrounded by multi-story buildings and looked completely out of place.

The interior consisted of a white vinyl floor and red and white booths that didn't look like they'd been updated since the 70s. But, the entire place was very clean with fresh paint on the walls and no crumbs on the tables.

The waitress was a large woman in her 50s with a pleasant smile and a booming voice. "What'll it be?" she asked.

"Coffee." Gibbs said and she gave him a look.

"I know what you want, Agent Gibbs." She said. "I was asking the lady."

"I'll take the breakfast special." Buffy said. "Eggs scrambled and the bacon crispy."

After the waitress walked away, Buffy spoke. "Why did you invite me to breakfast if you're not going to eat?"

"Thought you might be hungry."

He looked at her disbelieving face. "I also wanted to talk to you."

"About what?" Buffy asked.

"Your life up until now." he said. "I want to get to know you."

"I'm sure your background check has found plenty."

"It did." Gibbs conceded. "But it just tells me the facts. It really doesn't tell me anything about you."

Buffy smiled. "Yeah, I'm kind of complicated."

Gibbs returned the smile. "Most women are."

"I resent that comment." Buffy huffed. "Men are the hard one's to figure out."

"Not so hard." Gibbs argued playfully. "We're usually pretty easy to figure out."

"So says the man."

"So says the woman" Gibbs shot back.

"If I tell you about me, are you going to return the favor?" Buffy asked.

"I'm sure your background check has found plenty." Gibbs used her words against her.

"Point taken." Buffy said. "What do you want to know?"

"Tell me about your childhood." he said.

"Well," she began. "I always wanted to be a cheerleader…"

The talked all through breakfast, pausing only when the waitress brought their food, and continued talking between Buffy's bites of food.

She told him about her first cheerleading camp and the bully she got into a fight with in the 1st grade.

He told her about his high school years and his experience in boot camp.

They both kept the stories light, glossing over or leaving out the bad times. There would be time for the bad stuff later, for this they wanted the happy times. They laughed at each other's stories and made fun of the small embarrassments.

Finally, the food was gone and so was half the morning.

"This was a good idea." Buffy told Gibbs. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." Gibbs said. "I'd like to do it again."

Buffy smiled. "I think that can be arranged."

"I need to get to work. My team will be wondering where I am." Gibbs said, watching her reaction.

Buffy's smile vanished. "I guess we need to go ahead and get this out of the way."

"I think that would be a good idea."

"I didn't know he was your agent." Buffy told him. "I didn't even have a name until this morning. Melinda took over when I was in the hospital."

"Why DiNozzo?"

"He's a good agent, Jethro. The IWC has been watching him for a while. We started to approach him, then you retired to Mexico and he took over the team, so we backed off. Then, you came back and he started another operation, so we didn't approach him."

"You're wrong about one thing." Gibbs told her. "He's an excellent agent."

"Except for his tendency to play boy around." Buffy argued. "After I found out his name, I read his jacket and profile."

Gibbs smirked. "Tony does like women." he admitted. "But, he's also very protective of them and doesn't play games with any woman who isn't ready and willing to play back. Flirting is his nature and sometimes he can use that to his advantage."

"Are you still going to pursue him?" Gibbs asked.

"Don't know." Buffy answered. "Who else knows about the offer?"

"Just me. Tony won't tell anyone else."

"He wasn't supposed to tell you." Buffy retorted.

"There's a couple of things you didn't mention about Tony." Gibbs told her. "One of those things is his sense of duty. He takes his job very seriously and has done things he didn't want to do because of that."

"Like the last operation, with the woman?"

Gibbs nodded, not surprised that she knew about that. "Exactly. That was also a top secret assignment. He didn't even tell me about it because he was under orders not to. It tore him up though."

"Why's that?"

"The other thing you don't know about Tony is he's very loyal. In some ways he felt like he was being disloyal to me by not telling me about that. He told me it wouldn't happen again."

"So, anything he knows is going to make its way to you?"

"Anything important that could affect the team. So, if this job takes him away from NCIS, you're not going to have a problem. If you want him to remain with NCIS, it could cause problems."

Buffy considered that. They really needed someone who access to the NCIS files. On the other hand, if she was going to keep Gibbs in the dark about the supernatural, Tony wasn't going work. She wasn't really surprised. Gibbs just seemed to inspire loyalty. She'd only spoken with him a couple of times and she already felt the beginnings of it. Of course, the geas that all the operatives were under might keep him quiet, but it would also cause friction between him and Jethro. She was going to have to talk to Giles about this.

Gibbs watched her as the thoughts run through her head. She was everything he had hoped Kelly would grow up to be. She was strong, self-reliant and as dedicated to her job as he was.

"Why did you tell me all this?" Buffy finally asked him.

"Tony is an important member of my team." Gibbs told her. "And you're my daughter. It's not a good position for me."

"Are you asking me to back off?"

Gibbs shook his head, "No. I just wanted to give you all the facts. As much as I don't want Tony to leave, he's a big boy and can make his own decisions. But mostly, I don't want this to affect our relationship."

"So, if we do lure Tony away?"

"I wouldn't like it, but I'd still want you in my life."


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money

Chapter 11

Gibbs drove to work happier than he'd been in long, long time. The more he got to know his daughter, the more he liked her.

Gibbs didn't try to hide the smile on his face when he exited the elevator.

"Find out anything from Lieutenant Spears?" he asked Ziva.

"He admits to being with Petty Officer Rhodes at the bar, but he claims he just ran into her and they hadn't planned to meet." Ziva told him. "Said they had a drink together, which he paid for because her date never showed, and then he left and went home alone."

"What do you think, Ziva?"

"I think he's lying."

"Could anyone at the bar confirm he left alone?" Gibbs asked.

"No, it was a busy night."

They were getting nowhere fast with this case. The fact he had to be so damned careful didn't help matters any.

"I still don't have anything on the woman with Buffy except for her physical description." Gibbs was brought out of his thoughts by Ziva's comment.

"I know who she is." Gibbs said.

"Who?" Ziva demanded.

"A co-worker."

"So, she's IWC and we can't investigate her either."

"Got it in one, Ziva."

"What are we going to do, Giles?" Buffy asked her mentor after she explained the situation to him. "We need an agent at NCIS but I don't think Tony DiNozzo is going to work."

"It could still work, Buffy." Giles told her. "Maybe we should consider bringing Agent Gibbs into the loop also."

"NO!" Buffy yelled into the phone. "I'm trying to keep him out of my world."

"Why?" Giles asked her. "Word will get around eventually that he's your father and then what?"

"Then, I go primal slayer on anyone who dares to mess with him." Buffy answered darkly.

"And how do you propose to do that?" Giles persisted. "Your travel a great deal and could be half way around the world if something were to happen."

"Melinda could watch over him." Buffy argued, but Giles could tell she had weakened somewhat.

"Melinda is an excellent slayer, if a little young." Giles agreed. "However, she can't watch him 24 hours a day."

"What's your point, Giles?"

"My point is, I believe he would be safer if he were aware of what's out there. He's a decorated Marine sniper. Danger is nothing new to him, but its danger he knows how to deal with. Do you really want to leave things as they are and leave him in the dark about how to keep himself, and his team, safe?"

"So, you want me to get him involved with IWC and put him in even more danger?"

Giles was getting exasperated. "He's your father, Buffy. Once that gets out, he'll be a target, just like Dawn."

"Dawn hasn't been kidnapped in over a year." Buffy argued.

"Because she works with us and is surrounded by watchers and slayers." Giles reasoned. "Dawn knows the danger and takes precautions. If you don't want him to work with us, I'll abide by that, but I really think you should tell him who you are and what you do."

"I don't know if I can." Buffy admitted to the man who had been like a father to her for so many years.

"Why ever not?"

"I don't know if I can explain it." Buffy said.

"Try." Giles urged.

"It's going to sound stupid and childish." Buffy told him.

"Buffy, talk to me."

"Okay, don't say I didn't warn you." She said. She took a deep breath and continued. "Right now, to Jethro, I'm the girl he just found out is his daughter. We're still getting to know each other and I think we both like what we're finding. I don't want him to find out the truth and look at me differently."

Giles was silent so Buffy continued. "I learned to deal with the whole destiny slash slayer thing a long time ago but I guess I never completely let go of the dream of having a normal life. I know I'll never have normal as most people see it, and I'm okay with that, but I just don't want to let go of the one normal thing in my life."

The line was silent for a long moment. "I think you are greatly underestimating Agent Gibbs." Giles finally said. "You and Dawn are the only family he has. After everything he's been through, I don't think he'll turn his back on you."

Buffy snatched up one part like a dog with a bone. "And that's another thing! If I come clean about being the Slayer, I'll have to tell him about Dawn."

"And then he'll have two daughters instead of one." Giles retorted.

"The point is, if I tell him, I won't just be his daughter anymore." Buffy said.

"You'll be his daughter no matter what. Nothing will change that. But in order to truly know you, he has to know about the slayer part of you. It has shaped who you are, how you think and your outlook on the world. If you don't tell him, you're holding a huge part of yourself back from him."

"I'm just not ready to go there yet." Buffy said sadly. "Maybe after we get to know each other a little better the thought won't freak me out so much."

"That's all I can ask." Giles told her, well aware he'd made his point and any further persistence on his part would only cause her to dig her heels in even deeper.

"What time is Dawn's check-in?" Buffy changed the subject.

"Oh my, I didn't realize it was so late." Giles said. "She should be calling in the next half hour or so."

Buffy paced her hotel room for the next 45 minutes and mentally rehearsed what she was going to say to Dawn. Nothing sounded right in her head.

Buffy was so deep in thought, she jumped when the phone rang.

"Dawn?" Buffy answered.

"What's going on?" Dawn demanded. "I call for check-in and Willow tells me to call you as soon as the report is done."

"Did Willow tell you where I am?"

"Yeah, she said you'd gone to do a recruit interview and were injured. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Slayer healing kicked in and I'm as good as new."

"So…" Dawn prompted.

"I was found unconscious by NCIS in a warehouse with a dead petty officer." Buffy began.

She heard Dawn start to speak. "Wait, don't say anything yet. Let me finish."

"Okay." Dawn said.

Buffy took a deep breath and blurted out, "My blood was at the scene and they ran a DNA test trying to find out who I was because I was still unconscious. I'll skip the details but Hank isn't our father. Our father is a NCIS agent named Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

Silence reigned on the phone line as Buffy gave Dawn time to digest the news.

"I'll catch the next flight out." Dawn finally said.

"No." Buffy denied.

"Why not?" Dawn demanded before Buffy could continue.

"One, you have two slayers to find."

"One." Dawn interrupted. "We found the first one two days ago."

"Two, there's something getting ready to go down here. I don't know how big it is yet."

"Then you may need backup." Dawn told her. "I know there's a slayer there, but she's still pretty young isn't she?"

"She's only a year younger than you." Buffy told her. "Besides, you need to find that other slayer."

Dawn fought the urge to revert back to her teenage years. She wanted to whine and scream that it wasn't fair but she wasn't going to do that. She'd worked hard to change everyone's perception of her from spoiled brat to mature, young woman.

"Fine." she said, a little petulantly. "I'll finish what I came here to do. But, when this mission is finished, I'm there."

"I can live with that." Buffy told her and crossed her fingers that whatever was happening would be finished by the time Dawn arrived.

"So, tell me about our father." Dawn demanded. "Where did he meet mom? Why did we go for years thinking Hank was our sperm donor? I need details."

Buffy spent the next 45 minutes giving details and answering what questions she could. When she finally hung up she felt that had gone way better than she had originally thought it would. Sometimes it was still hard for her to accept Dawn had grown up.

Later that evening Buffy was dressed to slay in soft leather pants and form fitting tee. Her hair was pulled up in ponytail and her chunky boots would give her kicks a little more oomph.

She was meeting up with Melinda and they were going to do a patrol of the hotspots and try to gather some more information.

She met Melinda just outside the hotel and they strolled off toward the first location on Melinda's list.

Tony watched as Buffy and Melinda walked down the street away from him. He pulled out his phone and hit speed dial.

"Melinda and Buffy just left Buffy's hotel together. They're heading east."

"Follow them, DiNozzo." Gibbs ordered. "I'll meet you in 10."

Tony left his car and followed on foot.

At first, he thought they were lost. The path they took wound around and it didn't seem like they had a particular destination in mind.

Tony's phone rang. "Where are you?" Gibbs demanded.

Tony gave him the street address and hung up.

One minute later Gibbs pulled up beside him and he got in the car.

"What are they doing?" he asked.

"Seems like they're just taking a stroll. They don't seem to be headed for any place in particular. Every now and then they'll stop at some little shop or bar but they never stay in one place for very long."

Gibbs killed his lights but left the motor running as Tony picked up the night vision binoculars and scanned the area.

"I see them." Tony said. "They just went into Perpetual Peace Cemetery."

Gibbs gut went haywire. He killed the motor and almost jumped out of the car. He was quickly but quietly making his way to the cemetery entrance with Tony on his heels.

When he reached the gate he paused long enough to pull his weapon and crept into the graveyard.

There was enough moonlight they could be seen, so Gibbs kept to the shadows as they made their way toward the sound of the two women talking.

Suddenly, Gibbs heard a male voice interrupt the conversation. He couldn't make out the words but the tone didn't sound friendly. He picked up pace as he followed the sound.

Buffy felt them first and a second later Melinda got the vibe.

"We're going to have company." Buffy said and grinned at Melinda.

"Looks like." Melinda replied and sounded as excited about it as Buffy.

"What do we have here?" the vampire said as he moved in front of the two women. "Hasn't anyone ever told you it's dangerous to walk alone at night?"

Buffy shrugged. "Maybe I like to live dangerously."

"You came to the right place." the vampire said as three of his friends joined him.

"Oh, and we weren't invited to the party?" Melinda sounded disappointed.

"Actually," Buffy said, "I prefer to crash parties."

The vampires started to realize something was wrong. These two women weren't scared at all.

"Enough of this talk." the lead vamp said as he reached out to grab Buffy.

"You guys have such poor conversational skills." Buffy said as she grabbed the hand reaching for her and pulled her toward him for a kick to the gut.

The kick was the catalyst that pushed the other three into action.

They helped their fallen leader up and the four of them advanced on the slayers.

"I need the leader alive." Buffy called to Melinda as she blocked a punch from a blonde vamp and hit him with a palm strike in the stomach that sent him 10 feet backward.

The leader and a brunette vamp were charging Melinda. The brunette reached her first and she grabbed his arm and threw him into the leader.

Meanwhile, Buffy had pulled her stake as the fourth vamp, who looked like a high school geek, charged her. She met him half way and shoved the stake into his heart.

He exploded into a cloud of dust and Buffy turned just in time to see Melinda dust the brunette vamp.

"Two down." Melinda called.

Gibbs caught sight of the girls just as Buffy dusted the blonde vampire.

He froze in shock as his brain tried to understand how a man could just turn into dust.

Tony was right behind him, wondering why Gibbs had stopped, when Melinda dusted the brunette vamp.

Tony froze, the gun in his hand forgotten.

"Freeze, NCIS." Tony heard Gibbs say and automatically raised his weapon as back up.

Buffy heard Gibb's voice and almost turned around, but the blonde vampire chose that moment to charge her.

Buffy was pissed. He had followed her! Of course he had. She knew he wouldn't give it up. She knew he would do this. She mentally kicked herself for letting her guard down. She had been so focused on getting information that she had forgotten he would most likely be tailing him. Still, he must be pretty good for her not to have picked up on him. The knowledge did not lessen her anger though. She was not a child and she most definately did not need a babysitter.

Her first punch bloodied the hapless vampire's nose and everyone heard the bone in his knee break when Buffy threw a round kick.

The leader decided it was time to bow out gracefully and disappear while everyone was distracted.

He slowly started to make his way toward the shadows. He hadn't moved more than a foot when the man spoke again.

"If you take another step, I'll blow both your knees out." Gibbs voice was hard.

The vampire was smart enough to realize this human would do it. It wouldn't kill him, but it would hurt like hell. He didn't move.

Gibbs watched Buffy pummeling the blonde man and finally noticed something was wrong with his face. He hadn't noticed it at first because of all the blood.

"It's no fun if you don't fight back." Buffy taunted but it had no effect. This guy was out for the count, he just hadn't fallen down yet.

Buffy snorted in disgust and staked him.

For the second time in as many minutes, Gibbs and Tony saw a man disappear in a cloud of dust.

"What in the hell was that?" Gibbs yelled at her without taking his eyes or his gun off the last of men.

Buffy glared at Gibbs and, at that moment, Tony had no doubt she was Gibbs' daughter. He silently thanked whoever was out there she wasn't directing that look toward him.

"I'll deal with you in a minute." Buffy snarled at Gibbs as she stalked up to the vampire.

"You have one option." Buffy told the leader. "You tell me what I need to know or I'll make your last moments more painful than anything you've ever experienced."

The vampire was so unnerved by the violence in her tone, he slipped out of game face and nodded.

"Who is the human working with Victor and what are they planning?" she demanded.

"I don't know, Slayer, I swear." The vamp was almost begging. "They're keeping it hush hush and no one is talking."

Buffy nodded. "I believe you." she said as she shoved the stake in his chest.

The ash hadn't even settled when she whirled around to face Gibbs, who had his weapon hanging loosely at his side.

"Who do you think you are?" Buffy demanded as she stalked up to him and got in his face. "What the hell were you thinking, following me around?"

"I was trying to keep you safe!" Gibbs retorted loudly.

"No. You wanted to find out everything I wouldn't tell you." Buffy accused.

"There's a murderer out there that tried to kill you." Gibbs yelled. "He may try it again. Excuse the hell out of me for trying to keep you safe."

"There is not a murderer out there." Buffy yelled back. "The guy who killed your petty officer is dust. I staked him!"

"How the hell was I supposed to know that? You wouldn't tell me."

"You didn't need to know! I told you I can take care of myself."

Tony and Melinda had backed away from the action. Neither one of them wanted to get caught in the middle of this fight.

"Hey, Tony." Melinda whispered. "What you say we get the hell out of dodge?"

Tony smiled and whispered. "Sounds like a plan and maybe you can tell me what's going on."

They slowly started to back away hoping the noise of Gibbs and Buffy yelling would cover their escape. They were almost free when Gibbs' voice called to him "You're not going anywhere, DiNozzo."

"You either, Melinda." Buffy said.

"Now, tell me what the hell is going on?" Gibbs demanded again. "What were those things, because they sure as hell weren't human?"

"They were vampires." Buffy spat at him.

"Vampires?" Gibbs asked, his voice heavy with disbelief.

Buffy sighed and fought the urge to retort with a smart ass comment. Some sarcasm was definitely in order though, "Yes, vampires. Do you know of anything else that explodes into dust when you stab it in the heart?"

Author's Note: Well, for better or worse, there it is. Gibbs' introduction to Buffy's world. No matter how much you have a handle on a character, when you introduce something so different from the norm, its hard to know exactly how they'll react. I think Gibbs was in mild shock after seeing the vamp dusted and didn't really know how to react which is why he kind of stepped back and let Buffy handle things. I know it wasn't a very Gibbs like thing to do, but imagine finding out all your nightmares were real. It would take a while to wrap your brain around it.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money

Chapter 12

Gibbs was still trying to process everything that had just happened. His logical brain was at war with what his eyes just saw. "Vampires?" he said again, dumbly.

Buffy sighed, again. "Yes, vampires. I know it's hard to believe, but you know the saying, 'Seeing is believing' and you just saw us dust 3 vampires."

Gibbs surprised Buffy. "I believe you. I'm just having a hard time accepting it."

Buffy nodded, "I can understand that."

Gibbs looked over at Tony who was putting up a good front, but Gibbs could tell he was shaken by everything he'd seen.

"Okay, DiNozzo?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Boss." DiNozzo answered.

"Who are you looking for?" Gibbs turned and asked Buffy.

Buffy considered what to tell him for a moment and decided the cat was out of the bag. "There's a vamp named Victor that's been turning a lot of people lately, building an army. He's working with a human. I have information that this guy is military."

"Why didn't you come to me?" Gibbs asked in that soft voice that meant he was trying to control his temper.

"Hello. Secret identity? I didn't want you to know." Buffy retorted.

"Well, I know now." Gibbs told her.

"So, where do we go from here?" Buffy asked.

"Now, you tell me everything that happened at that warehouse and what you've learned since then."

Tony had still been processing everything but was thinking clearly again. The reality of the situation hit him like a ton of bricks. "This is what you were trying to drag me in to?" Tony demanded to Melinda.

"Wasn't my idea." Melinda said with a shrug of her shoulder. "I was just following orders."

Tony turned to Buffy. "How did you pick me?"

"That was the same question I asked, DiNozzo." Gibbs said.

"We need to take this someplace else." Buffy said. "This isn't exactly the best place to hang out."

The four of them ended up going back to Gibbs' house.

They walked into Gibb's living room, which Buffy thought could use a woman's touch. The furniture was dark and sparse. There was a dark brown leather recliner in one corner with a side table cluttered with magazines. There was also a matching leather sofa against one wall with a small coffee table in front of it. There were no curtains on the windows, only blinds. There was no TV and no pictures on the walls which were painted a neutral, beige color.

Gibbs saw her looking around and for the first time in a long time thought maybe he should make more of an effort with his house.

Gibbs made his way over to the only other furniture in the room, a small bar that contained his alcohol and glasses. He poured himself and Tony a drink.

"Want one?" he asked the girls. They both declined.

Gibbs sat down in the recliner and the girls on the couch. Tony decided he wanted to be closer to the drinks, so he leaned against the wall within reaching distance of the bar.

"Let's hear it." Gibbs said.

"I came across the scene at the warehouse while I was patrolling. At first I thought the vamps had two victims, the petty officer and the man…"

Buffy continued her story about the fight and how she ended up hurt so badly. She explained how she turned the recruiting over to Melinda so she could find out what Victor and the unknown human were up to.

Gibbs never interrupted as Buffy told her story. He sipped on his drink as she talked.

"Why were you patrolling if you didn't have any information anything was going on?" Gibbs asked when she was finished.

"There are vampires and demons in every city." Buffy explained. "Melinda patrols several times a week, but she can't be everywhere, so anytime I go anywhere, I do what I can to help."

"How did you heal so fast?" was Gibbs next question as he remembered how she looked in the warehouse.

"It's part of the slayer package." Buffy answered.

"Slayer?" Gibbs questioned.

Buffy realized Gibbs still thought this was just a job. Somehow she had missed telling him about the slayer thing during her explanation. Giles would call it a subconscious aversion.

"I'm not as good at this as Giles." Buffy said, "But, here's the spiel. Into every generation a girl is born…" and finished with "But, 5 years ago we were facing the First Evil and Willow did a spell to activate all the potential slayers. Now, there are thousands of slayers throughout the world. We're still trying to find them all."

Buffy finished and saw skeptism on Gibbs face and waited for him to speak.

"Huh." he said as he finished his drink and got up to pour another.

"So, what about this job you wanted me for?" Tony asked Buffy. "Did you want me to be a watcher? 'Cause I gotta tell you, it really doesn't seem like it would be my thing."

Buffy shook her head. "We have agents in every area of government. Some of them don't do anything but keep us informed of any supernatural activity or events they learn about. Others have access to information we may need from time to time. Some do go into watcher training and provide back up for any slayer in the area. It just depends on each person's strengths and weaknesses. We were trying to recruit you for informational purposes."

"If Tony had already been on the payroll, you would already know who the man is." Gibbs stated this as a fact.

"Yes." Buffy agreed. "Through him I could have gotten access to the military records and photos."

"You dust vamps." Gibbs said. "But, what happens to humans who work with them? Do you kill them too?"

"I don't kill humans." Buffy said. "Mostly vampires and demons don't get involved with humans. In our experience, anytime a human is working with a vamp they are planning something big. The vampires are usually using the human to get something done they can't do themselves. If that's the case, we make sure the human authorities have all the evidence they need to prosecute the human."

"Do we know what's being planned?" Gibbs asked her.

"No, not yet." Buffy told him. "If I can identify the man that will be a start."

"Petty Officer Rhodes was at the same bar you were that night. Did you see her?" Gibbs asked, an idea forming.

"No, I didn't, honestly." Buffy told him. "I met Melinda there and I asked her to take over Tony's recruitment and got a run down of the town's hot spots. We split up to patrol and I came across the warehouse a few hours later."

"We pulled the receipts from the bar. Your receipt is only about 30 minutes earlier than hers."

"You think that's how they found her?" Buffy asked, horrified. "They were looking for me and found her?"

"No, I just don't think there is any such thing as coincidence." Gibbs told her.

"I need access to the military database, Jethro." Buffy said. "I have to know who this guy is."

Gibbs looked at his watch. "We'll meet at NCIS in the morning and I'll get you access."

"How are we going to do that without the Director finding out, Boss?" Tony asked.

Gibbs started to speak but Buffy beat him to it. "Leave that to me, Tony." Buffy told him. "By the time your director gets to the office in the morning, she'll have orders to cooperate with me and specific instructions that she doesn't need to know the whys and details."

"Why didn't you just do that in the first place?" Tony asked.

Buffy gave him the look of an indulgent parent and explained patiently. "We can use that card once or twice without a problem. After that, the directors of the agencies start demanding answers as to why their agents and resources are being used for something they aren't allowed to know anything about. So, we use our agents whenever possible and leave the directors out of the loop."

"The Director isn't going to take this well." Tony told Gibbs.

Gibbs just shrugged. Jen would play the game and she knew the situation. She wouldn't like it, but she would do it.

Gibbs looked at Buffy. "I don't care what rules your people have. I want in. If this guy is military, it falls under my jurisdiction."

"I think you've made it obvious you won't bow out gracefully." Buffy retorted dryly.

Melinda and Tony left a few minutes later. Melinda wouldn't be present the next morning, she had class, but would continue to try and gather information on her nightly patrols.

Buffy used her cell phone to make a call while Gibbs was showing everyone out.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Gibbs asked her after they were alone.

"It's a hell of thing to have to tell anyone." Buffy answered. "In the past, I've told people and it didn't go over well. I think seeing us dust a vampire first helped with your acceptance."

"I can see that." Gibbs agreed. "Is there anything else you aren't telling me?"

Buffy grimaced and Gibbs saw it. "A lot, actually." Buffy admitted. "But it would take a lot longer than we have right now to get into all of it."

"Give me the highlights." Gibbs demanded softly.

"I have a sister." Buffy told him.

"I know, it was in your file."

"Let me tell you a story." Buffy began. "Once, there was this green ball of energy called the Key…"

Gibbs didn't say anything. He got up and poured him another drink and turned to Buffy. "So, you're telling me she's my daughter too?"

"Yes," Buffy agreed. "The monks made her from me and inserted her into my life so I would protect her. They altered her DNA just enough that we wouldn't be identical, but it still left us as full sisters."

"Where is she?"

"She's in Africa right now, looking for slayers."

Gibbs gulped his drink and poured another. "Does she know?"

Buffy nodded. "She knows."

"She's a slayer too?" Gibbs asked, wondering if his nerves could take having two daughters with such a dangerous job.

"No," Buffy denied. "She's an ordinary girl. She works with people who search out new slayers and help them with their new skills."

Buffy paused and wondered how he would take the next bit of news. "She should be finishing up in Africa in next few days and has told me she's taking the first flight here. She wants to meet you."

Gibbs leaned against his bar and sipped his drink thoughtfully.

In less than a week, he'd gone from being completely alone to having two daughters. He had two daughters!

He smiled. He could live with that.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money.

Chapter 13

Gibbs arrived the next morning to find his entire team already at their desks and Jenny watching from the top of the stairs.

Jenny caught Gibbs eyes and moved her head in a 'my office now' motion.

Gibbs barely restrained his smile as he started for the stairs.

"What the hell is going on, Jethro?" Jenny demanded as soon as Gibbs entered her office. "I arrive this morning to find Orders from Sec Nav to cooperate with an IWC agent, give her anything she wants and ask no questions."

"I thought the orders said to ask no questions?"

"Jethro." Jenny said in a threatening voice.

"The agent is Buffy." Gibbs told her. "She's probably already downstairs waiting for me. That's all I can tell you. Anything else is need to know."

He didn't give her a chance to respond as he walked out and closed the door behind him.

Gibbs looked toward the bullpen as he walked toward the stairs. He could see Buffy standing in front of Tony's desk. McGee was pretending to work while casting glances at Buffy when he thought no one was looking. Ziva was sitting at her desk throwing hostile looks Buffy's way.

"Morning." he said to Buffy as he walked by.

"Good morning, Jethro." Buffy said as she turned to follow him to his desk. "Have you talked to your boss yet?"

"Just now." Gibbs said, a smug smile on his face that Buffy didn't miss.

"Let me guess, she's not happy."

"Not at all."

"Anything I need to do?" Buffy asked him.

He shook his head and stood beside her to address his team. "We're going to be working with Buffy on a case involving the IWC. Everything on this case is strictly need to know. You discuss this case with no one except me or Buffy."

McGee spoke up, "What about the Director?"

Buffy answered before Gibbs could. "She has orders to stay out of this. She shouldn't be questioning you about it."

McGee looked at Gibbs who nodded. "Where do we start?"

"Put a picture of Lieutenant Spears on the screen." Gibbs told McGee.

McGee immediately started typing on his computer and a moment later a picture of Lieutenant David Spears appeared on the screen.

"Is that the guy?" Gibbs asked Buffy.

She took a couple of steps closer and inspected the picture. "Yes, this is the guy." she said and turned back to Gibbs. "Who is he?"

"He was with Petty Officer Rhodes the night she died." Gibbs told her. "He worked with her."

"Doing what?" Buffy asked.

"Supply receiving."

"What kind of supplies?" Buffy asked.

McGee did some more typing. "They are a supply hub. They receive everything from office supplies to computer components and then ship them out to military bases all over the country."

"Well," Buffy said, "We know who the guy is, but we still don't know what they're planning."

DiNozzo was already putting on his jacket. "Tail the Lieutenant. I got it, Boss." he said as he grabbed his gun.

"Take Ziva with you." Gibbs said as he looked at Ziva.

Ziva didn't look happy, but she didn't argue as she followed Tony to the elevator.

"Get Lieutenant Spears' bank records and find out if he's had any large deposits recently. Got it, Boss." McGee said as he was typing.

Buffy smiled. "They're good." She told Gibbs.

"I know." he answered with a smile. "I trained them to anticipate."

"You'll have to teach me how to do that." Buffy said.

"Come on, there's some people I want you to meet." Gibbs told her as he walked to the elevator.

Buffy heard the music before they made it to the door of the lab.

They walked through the door to see a woman dressed in a black skirt and knee high black boots standing in front of a computer.

Gibbs walked up to woman and looked over her shoulder.

"Gibbs!" she cried and threw her arms around his neck. She released him and stepped back. "What are you doing here? I don't have anything for you."

"I wanted to introduce you to someone." Gibbs told her and turned toward Buffy. "This is Buffy Summers. Buffy, this is Abby, our forensic scientist."

Abby practically ran to Buffy and hugged her. "It is so great to meet you." she gushed. "At first, I was a little jealous because Gibbs has a daughter, but I thought about it and decided you would be good for Gibbs. 'Cause, you know Gibbs doesn't talk about his family much but he announced you were his daughter to the whole team, which was a very un-Gibbs thing to do."

Buffy smiled. "You have got to meet Willow." Buffy told her.

Abby turned back to Gibbs. "So, what are you doing here?"

"You have a test to run." Gibbs told her.

They hadn't discussed it, but Buffy understood Gibbs needed to be sure. So, when Abby turned back to her, she held out her arm. "Let's just get this over quickly." Buffy told her.

Abby knew all about people and their fear of needles, so she quickly got her supplies.

"I find myself in an odd position." Abby told Buffy as she prepped her arm to draw the sample. "I feel like I need to tell you how great Gibbs is and I usually just let people figure that out for themselves. But, I feel you're so important to his life that I need to make that clear up front."

Buffy really liked Abby. "You don't have to tell me that. I already get that impression."

Abby decided she was going to like Buffy. "If you can see the greatness that is Gibbs, then we'll get along just fine."

Abby finished taking the sample and Buffy was impressed that she didn't really feel anything but a small prick.

"I'll have the results in about 24 hours." Abby told Gibbs.

"Thanks, Abby." Gibbs told her and gave her quick kiss on the cheek.

"Where to now?" Buffy asked as they walked out of the lab.

"It's a surprise." Gibbs said as they stepped into the elevator.

They stepped out of the elevator and Gibbs walked toward an automatic door which opened and Buffy's nose detected the presence of death.

"Why are we at the morgue?" Buffy asked.

"Jethro!" Ducky said as Gibbs walked through the door. "What brings you down here?"

"Someone I want you meet." Gibbs said as he put his arm around Buffy's shoulder. "Dr. Donald Mallard, I want you to meet my daughter, Buffy Summers."

Ducky smiled, "A pleasure to meet you, my dear." Ducky said as he moved closer. "Jethro needs someone young and vibrant in his life."

"A pleasure to meet you, Dr. Mallard." Buffy said as she extended her hand.

Ducky took her hand and kissed her fingers. "Ducky, please, my dear and the pleasure is all mine."

"Buffy is working an investigation with us." Gibbs told Ducky.

"Involving the IWC, I assume." Ducky said.

Buffy nodded. "Yes, the details are confidential."

"That's quite alright, my dear. I understand there are some things you simply can not discuss. It reminds me of this one time at university when there was a body found on the outskirts of town and brought to us for autopsy. Only the senior examiners were allowed near the body and the entire school was a buzz with rumors about why."

"Your were probably happier not knowing." Buffy told him with smile.

"Rumors spread, of course." Ducky continued. "Everything from an alien autopsy to vampires."

"Did you ever find out the truth?" Buffy asked him.

Ducky shook his head. "No, the body simply disappeared and we never found out definitively what was going on."

"We need to get going, Ducky. We've got a lot of ground to cover." Gibbs cut into the conversation.

"Of course, Jethro." Ducky said. "Just let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

"Is there anyone else you want me to meet?" Buffy said as they stepped into the elevator.

"No, that's everyone." Gibbs said.

"So, what's next?" Buffy asked him.

"We find out if McGee or Tony and Ziva have found anything."

"They've only been looking for a couple of hours." Buffy protested.

"That's plenty of time." Gibbs told her.

"I have a question for you." Buffy said.

"Hit me." Gibbs said.

"What's Ziva's problem with me?"

Gibbs reached over and hit the emergency stop on the elevator and looked over at Buffy. She couldn't quite read the expression on his face.

"Ziva has family issues." Gibbs finally said after a pause. "It's not something I can discuss. Just know she believes you may have been involved in the murder and that I refuse to see it because you're my daughter."

"She's trying to protect you." Buffy said thoughtfully.

"Yeah." Gibbs said.

"You've got a great team." Buffy said. "They really care about you."

Gibbs shrugged, uncomfortable with where the conversation was going.

"I don't have a problem with Ziva." Buffy assured him.

"You're not the one I'm worried about." Gibbs told her.

"Don't worry, I won't damage her." Buffy said and then added as an afterthought, "too much."

Buffy gave him a smile and reached over to re-start the elevator.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money.

Chapter 14

Tony and Ziva were sitting in the car watching Lieutenant Spears' office. They hadn't spoken in the last 20 minutes.

Tony could tell something was on Ziva's mind.

"What's going on with you, Ziva?" Tony finally asked her, unable to tolerate the silence any longer.

"Nothing." she denied.

Tony wasn't buying it. "Don't give me that." he said. "Something's bothering you. Now, tell me what it is."

Ziva huffed. "Fine. You really want to know?" she asked.

Tony nodded.

"I can't find out anything about the IWC." she told him. "I have contacted every informant I have ever known. Either no one knows about this organization or everyone is too scared to talk about them. I find that very disturbing."

Tony was unsure how to respond. He now knew what they did and why they did it, but he also knew he wasn't supposed to say anything about it.

"Is there any organization involved with Massad that no one knows anything about?"

"I know where you're going with this, Tony." Ziva said. "And yes, there is. But, there is always chatter, theories, rumors, something to hint about what's going on."

"Maybe there are hints." Tony said. "You just haven't picked up on them yet."

"I still don't like this." Ziva said.

"Ziva," Tony began only to be cut off by Ziva

"Don't, Tony." Ziva demanded. "I am not in the mood for a lecture."

"No lecture." Tony denied. "I just want you to give her a chance."

"I'm trying to watch out for Gibbs."

"I know." Tony said gently. "But, can't you see how happy he's been since he found out?"

"Of course he's happy now!" Ziva exclaimed and twisted in the seat to face Tony. "But, what happens when he finds out she's not everything he thinks she is?"

"Why do you think that will happen?" Tony asked her.

"Why do you think it won't?" Ziva countered.

"I like her."

Ziva gave him a look of disgust. "Of course you do, Tony." was the scathing response.

Tony brought both hands up in a 'no, not me' gesture. "Not like that. Even I'm not stupid enough to hit on Gibbs' daughter."

Ziva smiled. "Scared of the boss, Tony?"

"You know it." he answered with a smile. Then, his smile faded. "Give her a chance, Ziva. I think you'll like her once you get to know her."

"I'll try to get along with her." Ziva compromised.

Tony started to say something else but didn't as he saw Lieutenant Spears walk out the door. "There's our guy." he told Ziva.

Ziva turned and saw Spears getting into a Honda Civic.

He pulled onto the road and they followed.

Meanwhile at the office…

"What do you have, McGee?" Gibbs asked he walked by Tim's desk.

"Lieutenant Spears received a $20,000 wire transfer into an account different than the account his paycheck is deposited into. The account is brand new. He only opened it two days ago. The transfer came through yesterday."

"Where did the money come from?"

"The account originated in Africa. I'm still trying to track down the exact location."

Gibbs walked over to his desk leaving Buffy standing there. "So, do you have a general area in Africa?" she asked.

"Somewhere in Kenya." McGee said and Buffy could see he was nervous.

"Are you nervous because I'm IWC or because I'm related to Gibbs?" Buffy asked him.

McGee looked up, startled. "If I said both would you be offended?" he asked.

Buffy laughed. "No, I wouldn't be offended."

"Good." Tim said. "Then the answer to your question is both."

Buffy laughed again. In a way, he kind of reminded her of Xander of several years ago. Sweet and little bit shy, especially around females.

She started to say something more when her cell phone rang. "Buffy." she answered.

"Hey, Buffster." Xander's voice came over the line.

"Hey, Xander." Buffy was happy to hear his voice. It had been too long since she'd talked to him and since the voice didn't sound scared or panicked, she figured this wasn't an apocalypse call.

"Just wanted to give you a heads up." Xander told her. "We're finished here and Dawn is chomping at the bit to come visit. Our flight leaves in about 5 hours. We should be there by morning."

"We?" Buffy questioned.

Xander sounded a little sheepish when he answered. "Yeah, we. I haven't seen you in almost a year and I want to make sure this Gibbs guy is good enough for my girls."

Xander was one of her best and oldest friends. They had been through the good, the bad and the ugly together. "Call me when your flight comes in. I'll pick you up." she said.

"Will do. See you soon."

Buffy turned to Gibbs. "Dawn will be here tomorrow." she told him.

He looked startled for a moment and then smiled. "When?" he asked.

"They'll be here in the morning."

"They?"

"Xander is coming with her."

"Is Xander her boyfriend?" Gibbs asked in a protective voice, his mouth set in a hard line.

Buffy almost laughed out loud at the look on his face. "No," she said. "Xander thinks of Dawn as his sister. He works with her and gives Dawn's dates 'the speech' when I'm not around."

Buffy saw Gibbs relax. He really was a great guy. He was worried about someone he'd never met.

"Come on." Buffy said as she walked up to him and linked her arm with his. "I'll take you to lunch."

They were walking to the elevator when a voice came from behind them. "Aren't you going to introduce me Jethro?"

Gibbs turned and saw Jenny walking toward them and Buffy giving him an odd look.

"Jen, this is Buffy Summers, my daughter. Buffy this is NCIS Director Jennifer Sheperd."

"Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Summers." Jen said as she extended her hand.

Buffy gave her a firm handshake as she replied, "Nice to meet you too, Director."

"We were just on our way out, Director." Gibbs said.

Jenny smiled became slightly forced. "Well, I won't keep you then." she told Gibbs and turned back to Buffy. "I look forward to seeing you again, Buffy."

"Same here, Director."

They were in the elevator before Buffy spoke. "I was catching some vibes from her."

Buffy didn't miss Gibbs' involuntary fidget. "She's not just your boss, is she?"

"At one time she was my partner. Now, she's just my boss." Gibbs said.

Gibbs phone rang and he breathed a sigh of relief. Talk about saved by the bell! Gibbs just didn't want to talk about his former relationships with Buffy.

"Gibbs." he answered.

Buffy guessed he was talking to Ziva. He could hear the voice coming through the phone but couldn't make out the words.

"Get a warrant. We're on our way." Gibbs finished and hung up. "Spears left work early today and drove into Virginia to a holding warehouse the Army has there."

"What's stored in the warehouse?" Buffy asked him.

"Tony should be calling McGee to get that information now."

By the time Gibbs brought the car around, McGee was standing with Buffy, his laptop bag on his shoulder.

Buffy called shotgun and McGee didn't argue. Gibbs' driving was almost as bad as Ziva's.

"The warehouse is used to store various soldier equipment before it's shipped out to the bases. Everything from camouflage fatigues to gas masks. If a soldier wears it, it's stored there." McGee told Gibbs as they went down the road.

"We still don't know what they're after." Buffy told Gibbs.

"We'll find out." Gibbs promised her. "What was the last shipment that arrived at the warehouse?" he directed the question toward McGee.

"Last shipment was today." McGee said. "Night vision goggles and gas masks."

Gibbs looked at Buffy who shrugged. She couldn't think of anything the vamps would need that stuff for.

"What about the last two weeks?" he asked.

He heard McGee typing. "Mostly just ordinary gear. Fatigues, canteens, boots, things like that. But, last week, they got in an experimental suit scheduled to be shipped out to Fort Bragg in two days. It's like a bio-hazard suit except it's supposed to hide body heat. They think it'll give our guys an edge over heat sensing technology."

Buffy was still confused. Vamps didn't have body heat, so they didn't need anything that would hide it.

Buffy shrugged again and Gibbs understood she still didn't know any more than he did.

They rode for several miles in silence, except for the sound of McGee typing on his laptop. Buffy and Gibbs were still trying to figure out what was going down and McGee trying to dig up more information that may be useful.

"When we get there, I go in first." Buffy told Gibbs several minutes later. The more she thought about the situation, the less she liked it.

Buffy saw his grip tighten on the wheel and the speed of the car increased but he didn't say anything. "You know why." she continued.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it." Gibbs told her. Then he glanced over at her. "When this is all over, you're giving me a training course."

Buffy nodded. "Definitely. To be honest, I really don't like the thought of your team being here unprepared."

"You're not going in there alone." Gibbs toned brooked no refusal, neither did the fierce look on his face.

McGee continued to type, but he was listening to every word and he was confused. Training course? Unprepared? McGee couldn't think of anything Gibbs wasn't trained for.

"You'd send them in there blind?" Buffy demanded.

"No." Gibbs denied. "I'm going with you. There's at least one in there that I can take care of."

"What are you going to tell your team?" Buffy asked him, afraid she already knew the answer.

"McGee is sitting back there wondering what we're talking about." Gibbs told her without looking at McGee. "Tony already knows and Ziva's tough, she can handle it."

"You make it really difficult to keep a secret identity." Buffy told him. "There is a reason no one knows what we do."

"I trust my team." Gibbs defended.

"And I trust your judgment." Buffy conceded. "But I still don't want them in on this."

"Agreed. They'll be outside in the bright sunshine and I'll be your back up inside."

McGee couldn't be silent anymore. "What are you guys talking about? What don't I know?"

"I'll explain everything later, McGee." Gibbs told him. "We don't have time to get into it right now."

"No offense, Boss, but I don't want to walk into something blind."

"That's why you're not walking into anything, McGee." Gibbs retorted. "You, Tony and Ziva will be outside catching anyone who gets by us."

McGee didn't like it, but Gibbs was the boss for a reason and he had never let the team down or put them in unnecessary danger.

It took about an hour to reach Tony and Ziva.

"What's the plan, Boss?' Tony asked when they were all gathered around Gibbs' car.

Gibbs opened the trunk and began pulling out the radio equipment that would connect him and Buffy to the rest of the team.

"Buffy and I are going in to check it out. You three are to stay out here unless I specifically call you in." Gibbs ordered and looked each of them in the eye. "Are we clear?"

A chorus of "Yes, Boss." and "Crystal." responded to the question.

Gibbs took a few moments to outfit himself and Buffy with the radio equipment before they moved into the shadows toward the warehouse.

"Why is it always warehouses?" Buffy groused as they moved through the shadows.

Gibbs didn't answer. As soon as they were out of sight of the team, Gibbs turned off his transmitter and reached over and disabled Buffy's.

"Quick lesson." he told her. "Just in case."

Buffy pulled a stake out of one of the boots she was wearing and handed it to Gibbs. "Go for the heart. Anything else will just piss them off. And remember, they're faster and stronger than you. I know you're trained in hand to hand, but you can't fight them like that. Use their strength against them or you're dead. Your gun will hurt them, but it won't kill them."

Gibbs was good with hand to hand, but he wasn't a large man. He had fought opponents before who were bigger and stronger. He understood what she was saying.

He took the simple weapon and looked at. "That is for emergency use only." Buffy admonished. "I'll take care of the vamps, you take care of the humans."

Gibbs nodded his acceptance. He didn't like it, but he understood he was going up against something he really didn't understand and didn't know how to fight. He would follow her lead until he learned more about the enemy.

"I have one rule you have to follow." Buffy told him.

Gibbs cocked an eyebrow. She was more like him than he thought.

"Don't die." she finished.

Gibbs reconnected their transmitters and they crept toward the warehouse.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money.

Chapter 15

Gibbs and Buffy heard the voices before they saw the vampires. They silently crept around the warehouse until they had a visual to go with the voices.

"You have done well." a vamp Buffy assumed was Victor said to Spears as they stood looking into a shipping crate. "You will have your reward soon."

"Thank you, Victor." Spears said.

Victor and Spears watched as Victor's vamps started unpacking the crate. Buffy could see it was clothing of some type, probably the body heat hiding suits McGee had been talking about.

As far as Buffy could tell, with the exception of Spears, they were all vamps. Victor was Caucasian. He'd probably been about 45 when he was turned. He had dark hair and a medium build. The fledglings had all been in their 20's when they were turned and by the looks of them had all been very fit. Possibly military? Buffy filed that thought away for later.

She wasn't really worried about the 5 fledglings. She could tell they were still very new. Not one of them was more than a year old. She didn't know exactly how old Victor was, but he felt very old. Maybe not as old as the Master, but way older than Angel.

Buffy motioned to Gibbs and they retreated further back into the warehouse.

"Spears is the only human." Buffy told him, her voice low. "Take care of him while I get the others."

"There are six of them." Gibbs retorted in a furious whisper.

"I've had worse odds and these guys are still new."

"What about Victor?" Gibbs asked her.

"Stay away from him." Buffy ordered. "He's old, very old, and probably very powerful. Leave him to me."

Outside the warehouse, Tony, Ziva and Tim were listening to the conversation. Tony was getting worried, Tim was just getting more confused, but Ziva looked thoughtful.

"What are we going to do, Tony?" McGee asked.

"We have our orders, Probie." Tony told him firmly.

"It's 7 against 2." McGee protested.

"Drop it, McGee." Tony ordered. "There's things going on you don't understand."

"Stay here." Buffy told Gibbs and took off before he could respond.

Gibbs was behind her, but he couldn't match her speed.

Buffy didn't waste time with words. She knew Gibbs was right behind her. She came out from behind the crates at full speed, her stake ready and dusted the vamp closest to her.

The other 4 fledglings advanced on her, while Victor backed up a few steps with Spears.

"Who the hell is that?" Spears demanded.

"The Slayer." Victor said and turned angry, yellow eyes to Spears. "You told me you killed her in the warehouse."

"Your guys said the job was done." Spears was getting angry now.

"Obviously it wasn't done."

Gibbs caught up with Buffy just in time to see the puff of ash that told him she'd staked one of them and overheard the exchange between Victor and Spears.

"I'm getting the hell of here." Spears said and turned and ran. Victor eyed the retreating figure with disgust. He would deal with Spears later.

"You've got one coming out." Gibbs said into the radio, trusting the team to take Spears into custody.

Victor heard Gibbs speak and turned toward the voice. "And what are you going to do, human? Shoot me?" Victor smirked at him as he eyed Gibbs' gun. "You have no idea what you are dealing with."

Gibbs was unaffected by the menace in Victor's voice, although the glowing yellow eyes gave him just a moment's pause. "I think I do." he said in the placid voice that meant trouble for someone.

Meanwhile, Buffy and the four vamps had been circling each other.

One of the vamps reached for her and she gave him a round kick to the face. That must have been the signal, because all four of them came after her at once. One of them got behind her and pinned her arms to her sides as another advanced in front of her. She used the vamp holding her as a wall and brought both feet up to kick the vamp in front of her. He stumbled back and Buffy brought her feet down and pushed the vamp holding her backward into another stack of crates. The impact loosened the vampire's grip enough for Buffy to break free. She gave him an elbow in the face that stunned him and launched herself at the vampire to her right.

She gave him a couple of jabs to the face for good measure before sticking the stake in his chest. She pulled the stake back and threw a side kick at one of the approaching fledglings.

Meanwhile, Gibbs was still aiming his weapon at Victor.

"What do you want the suits for?" Gibbs asked conversationally. "Vampires don't have body heat to hide."

Victor laughed. "No, we do not. We are however limited in our travel during the daylight hours. I have discovered your suits block the UV rays that impede our movements."

"What's the point?" Gibbs asked. "What can you do during the day that you can't do at night?"

"Everything." Victor laughed. He shifted his eyes enough to see Buffy still fighting.

One of the vamps got in a punch to the face that sent Buffy down. He followed up by trying to stomp her stomach. She caught his foot and used it as leverage to throw him back. Then, in a gymnast move, she flipped back up to her feet.

Two of them rushed her at once, one went for her legs and one for her torso. Buffy was able to keep both her arms free and managed to get her stake into the heart of the vamp at her torso by going through his back. By the time she hit the ground, the vamp was dust.

She got one of her legs free and kicked the vamp in the face. He let go of her other leg and she was back on her feet.

Victor started to move. "Don't move." Gibbs ordered, aiming his gun at Victor's heart.

"Your gun will not stop me." Victor laughed at Gibbs.

"No." Gibbs agreed. "But it will hurt like hell."

Victor wasted no more words. He rushed Gibbs like a linebacker and caught him around the waist. Gibbs didn't let go of his gun as he fell and as soon as he hit the ground, he brought the gun up and hit Victor in the head with the butt.

Victor's game face came out and he started moving for Gibbs' neck.

Buffy was several feet away when she saw Victor rush Gibbs. She tried to make it over to them, to help Gibbs, but the two fledglings were blocking her path.

"Jethro!" Buffy yelled, panicked.

Gibbs knew Victor was going to bite him. He still had his gun, so he put it to Victor's stomach and fired.

Victor reared back slightly and let out an unearthly roar. The last thing Jethro saw was Victor's fist coming at him.

Buffy was down to one more fledge when she saw Victor hit Jethro. She was distracted enough the fledge got in a couple of good hits which were powerful enough to send her flying through the air. She landed on her back and it took her a moment to get her breath back.

Before she could get up, the fledge was on top of her. Completely panicked, desperate to get to Gibbs and running high on adrenaline, she reached up and grabbed the vamp on either side of his face. She twisted as hard as she could and jerked. The head tore free from the body a couple of seconds before it turned to dust.

Victor was leaning in for the kill when he felt another bullet pierce his shoulder.

He looked up and saw a small, dark haired woman pointing a gun at him. She fired again and another bullet hit him.

Buffy heard the shots and turned to see Ziva firing her gun at Victor. She got up and was moving toward Victor when he saw her moving.

"This isn't over, Slayer." he hissed before getting up and ducking behind some crates, Ziva still firing at him.

"Enough, Ziva!" Buffy yelled. "We've got to check on Gibbs."

The firing stopped and Ziva and Buffy both rushed to Gibbs, who was just starting to move.

"Anybody get the plate on that truck?" Gibbs asked as he tried to sit up.

Buffy put her arm around him and helped him into a sitting position. "Where is he?" Gibbs asked.

"He got away." Ziva told him.

Gibbs glared at her. "What the hell are you doing in here? Didn't I tell you to stay outside?"

Buffy answered before Ziva could. "She saved your life, Jethro."

"By putting hers in danger!"

This time Ziva answered, "Well, if you had just told me we were dealing with vampires I would have had more appropriate weapons."

Buffy and Gibbs jerked to look at her.

"That is what he was, yes?"

"Yes." Buffy and Gibbs answered in unison. Buffy continued. "But how did you know?"

"America is not the only place that is troubled by these creatures." Ziva said and stared intently at Buffy. "So, you are the current Slayer?"

"Your information is a little outdated. There are many slayers now, not just one."

"When did this happen?" Ziva asked.

"Five years ago." Buffy told her. "How do you know about slayers?"

"My sister, Tali, was what you called a potential."

Buffy was stunned. "What happened to her?"

"The official story is she was killed by a suicide bomber. The truth is, she and her handler were killed by an unknown group of men. The building was then bombed to cover up the murder."

"Her handler?" Buffy questioned.

"Her watcher." Gibbs answered. "Did you get Spears?" he asked Ziva.

Ziva nodded. "He is ready for transport back to headquarters."

Tony's voice came over Gibbs' earpiece. "Boss, I think you need to come out here."

"What's the problem, DiNozzo?" Gibbs barked.

"I think Probie is in shock." Tony chuckled over the radio. "He's been listening to the feed and now he's just staring off into space. I can't get him to respond to me at all."

"I'll be out in a minute. Grab the gear and get in here. You've got a crime scene to process."

Buffy felt sorry for Tim. She remembered her shock and disbelief when she first learned about this stuff.

Gibbs gave an audible sigh and headed for the door, wondering what all he would have to do to snap McGee out of his stupor.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money.

Chapter 16

"I'm sorry about your sister." Buffy said to Ziva as they walked out behind Gibbs.

"She was the best of us." Ziva told her.

"Is that why you dislike me so much?" Buffy asked her.

Ziva was startled by the question. "I did not know you were the Slayer."

"How is that possible?" Buffy asked confused. "You know I work for IWC."

"I did not know what IWC is." Ziva answered. "Tali was approached as a small child by a man who told my father the story of the Slayer and her destiny. He also told my father there was a group of men who exploited the potentials and his purpose was to prevent that from happening."

"What was the man's name?"

"Arden Asen."

Buffy made a mental note to asked Giles about the name. "So this man was opposed to this organization?"

"He told horrible stories of girls being removed from their homes and isolated away from their families and of being abandoned to die. He said he had seen it happen too many times and he finally broke ties with the organization. His mission was to find the potentials and warn them." Ziva paused and looked at Buffy. "He never referred to the organization as anything more than 'the evil men'. He was adamant if Tali was ever approached by anyone else, to consider it a threat and take any measures necessary to protect her."

Buffy considered that for a moment. "He was probably right." Buffy conceded. "Did they ever find her?"

"Yes, once, when she was ten years old. After my father refused to give them Tali, they attempted to kidnap her from our home. They did not succeed and no one else tried." Ziva told her, remembering the example her father had made of the men. "And you work for this organization."

Buffy heard the suspicion in Ziva's voice and didn't blame her for it. She looked Ziva in the eyes. "We're not that organization anymore. When the headquarters was bombed 5 years ago, the old counsel was destroyed. We have spent years rebuilding, making things better. Now, the girls get housing, education, training and support. No girl is forced from her home or her family."

"No one would tell me anything about IWC." Ziva told her.

Buffy knew what she was hinting at. "We've spent years revamping, excuse the pun, our image. We have treaties and contracts with almost every nation in the world. If word got out to the general population what we do, it could put the girls in danger."

"My father wouldn't even tell me about you." Ziva told him.

Buffy nodded. "I know of him." She said. "Maybe he didn't want what happened with Tali to influence your perception now. He knows how much work we've put into the new counsel."

That made sense to Ziva and it wouldn't be the first time her father had kept something from her for 'her own good'.

The two had been standing away from the rest. Now, they looked over to see Tony gathering the crime scene gear and Gibbs talking to McGee.

"Tim?" Gibbs said softly as he kneeled in front of McGee.

McGee didn't respond, even when Gibbs waved a hand in front of his face and snapped his fingers.

Gibbs got to his feet and walked behind McGee. He leaned down until his mouth was at McGee's ear. "Attack!" he yelled. "Vampires! Run!"

McGee jumped like he'd been hit with a cattle prod. He was on his feet and reaching for his gun when Gibbs caught his arm.

"Thanks, Boss." McGee said as he wiped his forehead.

Gibbs gave him a small smile. "Take Spears back to headquarters."

McGee nodded and proceeded to follow his boss's instruction.

"Ziva, help Tony with the crime scene."

Ziva nodded and turned back toward the warehouse.

Gibbs walked over to Buffy. "What now?" he asked her.

Buffy had been considering that same thing. "We still don't know exactly what Victor is planning. He doesn't have the suits but will that stop him or just make him alter his plan?"

"Those suits are going into NCIS lock up until we have this guy."

"Good idea. I'll meet with Melinda tonight and we'll make the rounds and see if we can find out anything."

"Want to help me interrogate Spears?" Gibbs asked.

Buffy gave him a brilliant smile. "Sure. Sounds like fun."

Gibbs smiled back. "That's my girl."

Inside the warehouse Ziva caught up to Tony who was taking pictures of the open crates.

"Everything alright?" Tony questioned.

"Fine. Why?"

Tony shrugged. "I saw you talking to Buffy."

"Buffy and I came to an understanding." Ziva told him.

"So you don't think she's evil anymore?"

"Drop it, Tony."

Tony stopped what he was doing and looked at Ziva. "I'm sorry about your sister. I don't think I ever said that."

Ziva tilted her head in acknowledgement. "Thank you, Tony."


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money.

Chapter 17

Gibbs, McGee and Buffy looked through the window that separated them from the interrogation room that held Lieutenant Spears.

Spears was leaned back in the chair looking very relaxed. Very unusual for someone in his position.

McGee gave Gibbs a confused look. He didn't understand how Spears could be so relaxed.

Gibbs and Buffy shared a look.

"There's something we're missing." Gibbs said.

"Yeah." Buffy agreed. "He's got something up his sleeve."

"Let's find out what it is." Gibbs said as he opened the door and left the observation room.

Buffy and McGee watched as the door of the interrogation room opened and Gibbs strolled in, file in hand.

Spears didn't say anything, just smirked as Gibbs pulled out the chair and sat down.

"You seem awfully relaxed for a guy about to be charged with treason." Gibbs commented as he flipped through the file.

Spears smirked faded slightly. "Treason?" he asked, then laughed. "You can't charge me with treason.""No?" Gibbs questioned. "I believe I could make a case for treason. You conspired against your government for the benefit of a hostile party." Gibbs paused for a moment as he considered. "You may be right. Maybe not treason. Treason means you get to stay right here and get an attorney and I have deal with all those pesky rights. No, I'm thinking more along the lines of terrorist. I charge you with conspiracy to commit terrorism and you're on the first plane to Gitmo. No attorney, no rights, nothing."

"You can't prove that." Spears denied.

Gibbs gave an evil smile. "That's the great thing." Gibbs said. "I don't have to prove it, just charge you with it.'

For the first time, Spears composure started to falter, but he still tried to appear confident. "I won't be here long enough for that." he stated.

"You think Victor is going to get you out?" Gibbs asked him, his voice rising. "I hate to break it to you, Lieutenant, but you don't mean squat to Victor. You're nothing more to him than an expendable tool. He's not coming for you, he doesn't need you anymore. Your best bet is to tell me what I need to know and it may keep you from getting the needle."

"I'm not stupid." Spears said. "You aren't going to make me any deals and I don't need any. I didn't kill anyone, that was all Victor's guys."

"Why was Petty Officer Rhoades at that warehouse?" Gibbs demanded. It was one part of this that didn't make any sense. Why did they need to kill her?

"It was her own fault!" Spears insisted. "She discovered I had accessed the information on the suits and demanded I tell her what was going on. She wouldn't let it go. If the stupid bitch had just kept her mouth shut she would have been fine."

"We found the bank account with the $20,000. That's not a lot of money to convince someone to betray their country. What else is in it for you?"

"Victor is going to make me his 2nd in command." Spears said.

"You want him to turn you?" Gibbs' tone was incredulous.

"Immortality has its appeal." Spears said. "No more taking orders from people too stupid to do anything else but serve in the Navy. Watching while they all die, and I live."

"What about the Slayer?" Gibbs asked him. "Right now, you're human and she won't kill you. You turn and she'll dust you."

"She won't be around long enough for that." Spears told Gibbs confidently.

Gibbs felt his fury start to build at the threat.

Before Spears knew what was happening, Gibbs was around the table and grabbed Spears by the front of his shirt. Spears felt himself being lifting out of the chair and slammed against the wall.

"You will tell me exactly what you meant by that!" Gibbs snarled.

When Spears didn't answer quickly enough, Gibbs shook him and slammed him against the wall again. "Now! Tell me!" Gibbs demanded.

In the observation room, McGee turned to look at Buffy when Spears made the threat and noticed she didn't seem too concerned about it.

Buffy saw the look and knew what McGee was thinking. "People threaten to kill me a lot. After a while, you don't let it bother you anymore." she told him.

McGee could see the logic in that, but didn't think he would ever be able to take a threat on his life that lightly.

Buffy saw Gibbs slam Spears against the wall and decided it was time to intervene.

"Where are you going?" McGee asked when she headed for the door.

"To make sure he doesn't kill him."

"The Boss really doesn't like to be interrupted when he's doing an interrogation."

Buffy sighed. Tim was a really good agent, but sometimes he just didn't get human nature.

"Spears just threatened my life. If it were your daughter, what would you do?"

McGee just nodded, remembering how he had covered for his sister.

Buffy walked into the interrogation room and walked up to Gibbs. She put her hand on his shoulder and said in a low, soothing voice. "Let him go, Jethro."

Not wanting to show the scumbag any disagreement within his team, he lowered Spears to the floor and backed up a step.

Now that he was free, Spears decided to get brave again. "That was assault. I could have your badge for that!"

Buffy looked at him for a moment. "I didn't see any assault." She said and then looked at the mirror. "I'm willing to bet McGee didn't see any assault either. Oh, and we forgot to turn the video tape on. How silly of us."

Spears made a show of smoothing his shirt as he moved several more steps away from Gibbs.

"What's Victor's plan?" Buffy asked him calmly.

"I can't tell you that." Spears said, shaking his head and backing up. "He'll kill me."

"Honestly, that would be better for you than turning you." Buffy told him bluntly. "And right now, Victor is the least of your worries. Agent Gibbs is having trouble controlling his temper. Who knows what he might do if the doesn't get the answers he wants."

Spears looked over at Gibbs. Sure enough, he looked like it was taking everything in him not to attack. His hands were clenched at his side and he never moved his body as his eyes followed Spears every movement, like if he moved he wouldn't be able to keep himself from killing.

"I don't know the details." Spears said. "All I know is he said he has a plan that would take care of all the slayers."

Buffy cocked an eyebrow. She needed to talk to Giles. Anything that could wipe out the slayer line would be big magic.

Buffy nodded to Jethro and motioned to the door.

They were out in the hall before Gibbs exploded. "What in the hell was that about? What were you doing in there? He didn't tell us anything!"

Buffy was not in the mood for this. The thought of anything that could wipe out the slayer line was terrifying to her. Yes, she had always wanted a normal life, but not at the expense of all the lives that would be lost if there weren't slayers to stop the vampires and demons.

She whirled on Gibbs and was in his face. "The question is, what the hell were you doing in there? Are you trying to lose your job? What were you thinking, putting your hands on a suspect with a video camera trained on you? And don't you say you were trying to protect me!" Buffy snapped.

"That's what I was trying to do, dammit. He threatened you!"

"He's not the first and he won't be last." Buffy retorted loudly. "Live with it, I do."

With that parting shot, she turned and walked down the hall.

McGee was listening from the observation room and didn't come out until he heard Buffy walk away.

Gibbs was stilling standing in the hallway, watching Buffy walk away.

"What now, Boss?" McGee asked him.

"Now, we find Victor and make him tell us his plans."

"How are we going to do that without Buffy?"

Gibbs gave McGee the patented Gibbs stare. "We're investigators, McGee. We investigate."

McGee nodded and hurried away, wondering how in the hell they were supposed to investigate something they didn't know existed until a few hours ago. It wouldn't be like tracking down humans, McGee knew that much.

Ziva knew about these things, maybe she would have some idea of where to start.

As soon as McGee was out of sight, Gibbs walked toward Jenny's office, his thoughts running along the same lines as McGee. He was out of his league here and had just pissed off the one person who could have helped him figure everything out.

"Nice to see you, Jethro. I didn't hear you knock." Jen said as Jethro entered her office.

"That's because I didn't knock."

"What can I do for you, Agent Gibbs?" Jen said as she took off her glasses and looked at him.

"Need to talk to you." Gibbs said.

Jen saw the look on his face and raised an eyebrow. "I usually get food when it's this bad."

"I didn't have enough time." Jethro answered with a smile.

"Is this about Buffy?"

"Yeah. It seems like every time we start to make some progress, I piss her off."

It was Jen's turn to smile. "It's what you do best, Jethro."

"Yeah, but usually I do it on purpose."

"Let me guess, you're being a mother hen."

"I am not a mother hen." Gibbs barked.

Jen's smile widened. "Okay, let me rephrase that. You're trying to protect her and she isn't taking it well."

"She's my daughter." Gibbs defended.

"Who is 27 years old and has just met you. She's been taking care of herself for a long time. You're walking on her pride."

Gibbs almost collapsed into a chair. "I can't lose her, Jen. I just can't."

Jen's amusement turned to compassion. She vividly remembered the pain and anguish on Jethro's face after he woke up from the explosion and had lost his memory. The pain of losing his first wife and daughter was fresh and raw. She could understand his plight.

"If you continue to smother her, you'll lose her anyway, Jethro."

"But she'd be alive." Gibbs said, staring into her eyes. "I don't know if I could handle burying her."

"Like your job is so much safer." Jen retorted.

Jen walked around her desk and sat down in the chair beside him. "I don't know exactly what she does, and I'm not asking you tell me, but she's in our line of work. She knows the dangers and she's accepted them. You can't ask her to change who she is."

"She said almost exactly the same thing."

"You need to listen. You've got an opportunity here, Jethro. Don't throw it away."

Back at her hotel, a worried Buffy was on the phone with Giles.

She had told him what Spears had told her. Giles first response was "oh, dear" which didn't help Buffy's nerves at all. She could almost see him cleaning his glasses.

"I'm going to have call in Willow and we're going to have to do some research." Giles finally said after flipping through a few of the tomes he had in his office.

"I don't know when all of this is supposed to go down, Giles. I need that information now."

"As soon as we know something, you'll know something." Giles assured her. "Willow just arrived. I'll call you back."

After Giles hung up, Buffy paced her hotel room trying to plan her next move. She could make the rounds, try to rough up the locals, but she didn't think it would do any good. If Victor was planning something this big, it's a good bet he was keeping the details close to his vest. Melinda had already reported that no one would admit to seeing Victor since the scene at the warehouse. He had gone off the grid.

Buffy came to the conclusion she was just going to have to wait until Giles called her back. With that decided, her thoughts turned to Jethro. God, he pissed her off. But, a part of her pleased that he cared enough to stand up for her. Still, she didn't want him to get into trouble because he was trying to protect her.

The shrill of the cell phone brought Buffy out of her thoughts.

"Giles?" she said when she answered the phone.

"Nope, Xander." came the voice on the other end of the line. "I take it something's wrong."

"I don't know how bad it is yet. I'm waiting for Giles to call me back."

"Well, while you're waiting, think you can come to the airport and pick us up?"


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money.

Chapter 18

Buffy almost pushed her way through the crowd in the terminal.

She hadn't seen Dawn or Xander in way too long and she was so glad they were here, even if things were about to get ugly.

"Buffster." Xander said, just before enveloping her in a hug. "You look great!"

Buffy broke from the hug and looked at Xander. Africa had been good to him. He was tan and looked very fit and healthy. "So do you." she told him.

"What about me?" came Dawn's voice from behind her.

Buffy turned and grabbed her sister in hug. She released the hug when she felt Dawn start to squirm and figured out she wasn't able to breathe.

Dawn looked Buffy over and saw the tension around her eyes.

"Let's get out of here and get some food." Dawn said. "I'm starving and you can fill me in on what's going on while we eat."

They were sitting at small sandwich shop, Dawn and Xander eating while Buffy filled them in on the details, when Buffy's phone rang.

"Hello."

"It's Jethro." came the voice on the end. "I need to talk to you."

"If it's going to be a repeat of the scene at your office, I'll pass. I've got other things to worry about."

"Somehow I don't think I can honestly say we'll never have another argument." Gibbs said with humor.

Buffy smiled, "I guess you're right. I just can't do that with you right now."

"Agreed. We have to figure out Victor's plan."

"Jethro," Buffy began only to be cut off by Dawn.

"That's him? When do I get to meet him?"

"I'll meet you at your house in an hour." Buffy said. "There's a couple of people I want you to meet and we can decide our next move."

"Dawn's here?" Jethro asked and Buffy could hear the excitement in his voice.

"She and Xander arrived about an hour ago."

"My house, one hour."

"So, what's this guy like?" Xander asked Buffy as he sipped his soda.

Buffy pondered the question for a few moments. How to describe Gibbs?

"Well, as you know, he's an NCIS special agent. He's a bastard and at times he really pisses me off, but he's also brave, strong, stubborn, smart and loyal. He inspires loyalty in other people and really cares about the job he does."

Dawn and Xander exchanged a look. It was obvious Buffy respected the man.

"Does he know about me?" Dawn asked, trying not to let the nervousness show in her voice.

"Yeah, he knows." Buffy told her.

"How did he take it?"

"He was naturally a bit shocked at first, but then he smiled and kept repeating that now he has two daughters."

Buffy saw Dawn visibly relax at that. "He's looking forward to meeting you." Buffy continued.

"Not to try and put a damper on the family stuff, but what are we going to do about this Victor guy?" Xander asked worried about what Buffy had told him. He couldn't imagine a world with no slayers. Giles and Willow were still researching Victor's possible plans, but Xander was worried. He had worked so hard finding new slayers and getting them training and help. Their safety was his responsibility. There was no way this guy was going to hurt them, not as long as he was alive to stop it.

"That's another reason to go talk to Jethro. He doesn't understand how serious this is and how powerful someone would have to be in order to take out all the slayers. Then, we wait for Giles and Willow to get us some information so we know where to start looking."

One hour later the three of them knocked on Gibbs' door.

Gibbs opened the door and immediately pulled Buffy into a hug. "I was a bastard. I would say it won't happen again, but it probably will. All I can say is, I'll try and do better."

It was their first hug Buffy realized. They had talked and fought, but they hadn't hugged. She was amazed at just how safe she felt in his arms.

Buffy pulled away and gave him a smile that said he was forgiven.

She looked behind her and took Dawn's hand. "This is Dawn." she said as she pulled her up to stand beside her.

"Hi." Dawn sounded unsure.

Jethro was not unsure. Much like he did with Buffy, he pulled Dawn into a hug. Jenny was right, he had an opportunity and he was not going to mess it up. He couldn't have Shannon and Kelly back and he would always miss them, but standing here in front of him was a chance at a family, another chance for him to be happy.

Dawn was reluctant to break the hug. Much like Buffy, Dawn felt safe and loved. Finally, she broke the hug and stepped back.

"Come on in." Gibbs said and stepped back to let them in. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off Dawn, studying her every detail. He already had every part of Buffy memorized and was trying to do the same with Dawn. His first thought was they didn't look much like sisters, but another look at her and he saw some of Joyce in her. Didn't matter who they looked like, both his daughters were beautiful.

After they got in, Buffy remembered Xander hadn't been introduced. She turned to do the introduction only to see Xander step around Dawn and stand in front of Gibbs.

"I'm Xander Harris." he said as he extended his hand.

"Jethro Gibbs." he returned as he took the offered hand.

The two men sized each other up while Buffy and Dawn watched, amused.

"Is it just me, or is the testosterone level rising in here?" Dawn asked Buffy as they watched the two men locked in a staring contest.

"It's definitely rising. We'd better distract them before they decide to take it to the next level."

"Are you two finished?" Buffy asked as she took Xander's arm.

Xander gave her his practiced "what? I'm innocent" grin. "We were just coming to an understanding is all." he defended.

Gibbs didn't say anything, it was a guy thing.

"Save it for later." Buffy told him exasperated. Men just didn't make a lot of sense to her.

"The girls just don't understand." Xander told Gibbs as they made their way to his front room.

"I know." Gibbs said, then he stopped and turned to look at Xander. "Are we good?"

Xander would not be intimidated by the Gibbs glare. "For now." Xander said, then followed up with, "You do anything to hurt them and I'll beat you to death with a shovel."

Gibbs smiled. "Is that the threat you give the potential boyfriends?" Gibbs didn't wait for an answer as he continued. "Impressive."


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money.

_Previously_

"_The girls just don't understand." Xander told Gibbs as they made their way to his front room._

"_I know." Gibbs said, and then he stopped and turned to look at Xander. "Are we good?"_

_Xander would not be intimidated by the Gibbs glare. "For now." Xander said, then followed up with, "You do anything to hurt them and I'll beat you to death with a shovel."_

_Gibbs smiled. "Is that the threat you give the potential boyfriends?" Gibbs didn't wait for an answer as he continued. "Impressive."_

Chapter 19

Gibbs offered everyone a drink. The Scoobies elected for sodas and Gibbs got himself a beer. Gibbs sat down at the end of the sofa, Dawn took the middle and Buffy took the other end. Xander elected to sit in a comfortable looking recliner.

The talk was small and mostly directed toward Dawn. Where do live? What do you do for a living? What do you like to do for fun? Are you seeing anyone? Gibbs was a skillful interrogator but he didn't want Dawn to feel like he was interviewing her for the position of daughter so he kept it light. He could see significant differences in her personality compared to Buffy's and concluded that she was not as confident in this situation as Buffy was. When he thought about it though, he couldn't blame her. Gibbs remembered Joyce and the weekend they spent together that produced Buffy. Dawn was created and even though she shared his DNA, he didn't have that same thread tying him to Dawn as he did Buffy. That thread being his memories of when she was created. Although it didn't matter to him how she had his DNA, he could understand how she could feel insecure in this situation.

If there was anything Xander had learned over the years it was how to accurately read people quickly. He only needed a few minutes a few minutes of watching how Gibbs interacted with Dawn and Buffy to see that he genuinely adored them already. He could see Gibbs was handling Dawn with kid gloves and he approved. During the long flight, he and Dawn had discussed the situation and he knew how worried Dawn was that he wouldn't accept her, wouldn't like her and would think she was a freak. He had tried to be reassuring but a part of him was worried about the same thing. It was obvious now their fears were unfounded.

Gibbs got up and went over to the book shelf where he pulled out what looked like a photo album. When he returned to the couch he sat down in the middle with the girls on each side of him and opened the book. The first picture was of a young woman. She had long red hair and an infectious smile.

"That's Shannon." Gibbs told them. "We met when I was 18, just as I was getting ready to leave for the Marines."

The next several pages were of a much younger Gibbs and Shannon. They looked so happy together. Shannon looked stunning in her wedding dress and Gibbs was so handsome in his dress blues.

When they reached the page that held the birth announcement, Gibbs paused. Even after all these years it was still so hard to talk about Kelly. "This is your half-sister, Kelly, when she was born. She and Shannon died when Kelly was 7."

The remaining pages held various photos of the family. Buffy and Dawn watched Kelly growing up in pictures as Gibbs told little stories and anecdotes about some of the pictures. Buffy and Dawn both felt his pain and loss when Gibbs turned the page in the album and it was blank. No more pictures, no more Shannon and Kelly.

Impulsively, Dawn drew Gibbs into hug and immediately wondered if she made a serious faux pas. But, Gibbs did not pull away, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

Although Buffy did not join the hug, she watched through eyes shiny with unshed tears. She had a sister she had never met and never would. She had known about Shannon and Kelly, of course, but she had not processed exactly what that meant until she saw the pictures.

Dawn and Gibbs broke the hug and Gibbs got back up to put the album away. If he took a few minutes too long to decide where he wanted to put the album on the shelf, well nobody said anything.

When he returned to the couch, he was once again composed. Buffy decided now would be the time to bring up Victor and the threat to the Slayer line. Before she could speak, Gibbs' phone rang.

"Gibbs." he answered.

"….."

"When?" he demanded, his voice rising.

"…."

"How the hell did this happen? That transport was supposed to be need to know only!"

"…"

"I'll be there in 20." he growled and hung up.

Gibbs turned to Buffy. "The truck that was transporting the suits to NCIS was ambushed in route. All the service personnel were killed and the suits are missing. I've got to get to the scene."

The news troubled Buffy. She knew Victor was behind the attack. Her question was, how did he know when and where the suits were being moved? Did Victor have an inside source that they didn't know about? If so, who was it and how could they draw him out?

Buffy could see Gibbs was wondering the exact same things as they drove to the scene.

Xander and Dawn had known they would not be welcome at the scene so they elected to go check into their hotel. After that they would meet with Melinda to see if she had gotten any more information on Victor or his plans.

On the other side of the ocean, Giles and Willow were sitting at a large table covered with old, leather bound books. They had been researching for hours and still had not found anything that could explain Victor's plan to eliminate the Slayer line.

Suddenly, Willow gasped. "I think I found something." she told him.

Giles went over to where she was sitting and looked over her shoulder. He barely refrained from letting out his own gasp as he read the passage.

After he finished reading he took off his glasses and cleaned them while he was thinking about how they were going to handle this.

"This is really bad, isn't it?" Willow said more than asked.

"If he can pull it off, yes. I have my doubts that it is possible. However, he could cause a lot of destruction in his attempt."

"We need to get to DC." Willow said. "Buffy is going to need some help."

"I'll contact Faith and her team." Giles said. "They are already in the states and should be able to arrive in just a few hours. With any luck we will be able to stop Victor before he can put his plans into motion."


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money.

_Previously_

_On the other side of the ocean, Giles and Willow were sitting at a large table covered with old, leather bound books. They had been researching for hours and still had not found anything that could explain Victor's plan to eliminate the Slayer line._

_Suddenly, Willow gasped. "I think I found something." she told him._

_Giles went over to where she was sitting and looked over her shoulder. He barely refrained from letting out his own gasp as he read the passage._

_After he finished reading he took off his glasses and cleaned them while he was thinking about how they were going to handle this. _

"_This is really bad, isn't it?" Willow said more than asked._

"_If he can pull it off, yes. I have my doubts that it is possible. However, he could cause a lot of destruction in his attempt."_

"_We need to get to DC." Willow said. "Buffy is going to need some help."_

"_I'll contact Faith and her team." Giles said. "They are already in the states and should be able to arrive in just a few hours. With any luck we will be able to stop Victor before he can put his plans into motion."_

Chapter 20

Buffy and Gibbs arrived at the scene in record time. Buffy was now certain she had inherited her driving skills from Gibbs. It's not easy to terrify a slayer, especially one as experienced as Buffy, but Gibbs managed.

Gibbs didn't waste any time once the car screeched to a stop. He was out of the car before Buffy could convince her hands it was safe to unclench so she could unbuckle her seat belt.

As Buffy was exiting the car she saw Tony, Ziva and Tim approach Gibbs.

"What do we have?" Gibbs demanded from Tony.

"It's a blood bath boss." Tony responded. "There were two soldiers in the cab and three riding in the truck with the suits. Ducky isn't here yet so no one has touched the bodies."

"Anything else?" he growled.

McGee chose this moment to comment. "There is witness that was driving by that saw a large U-Haul truck driving away from the scene."

"Let's get to work." Gibbs ordered.

Tony, Ziva and McGee scattered. Gibbs had trained them well. They all knew their jobs.

Gibbs and Buffy approached the nearest body. Buffy had seen a lot of people die over the years and it never got any easier for her. The body was of a young marine. Buffy didn't think he could have been over 21. His eyes were open and he had a look of terror on his face. His throat had been torn out and there wasn't nearly enough blood around the body in relation to throat wound for this to have been done by an average person.

"He was attacked by a vampire." Buffy told Gibbs.

"We don't know that yet." Gibbs disputed, looking over toward her.

"Yes, we do." Buffy argued. "I've seen this too many times over the years."

They moved on to the body of the driver. He was older than the first marine but not by much. Buffy estimated his age to be late 20s. It was obvious he had attempted to fight back. His knuckles were bloody and instead of one bloody gash on his neck, he had cuts and gashes on both arms and where his shirt was torn she saw more wounds on his chest. There was blood spatter everywhere including several blood smears on the side of the truck where it looked like a body was thrown up against it. In the end his efforts had not been enough and he lay dead along with his team mates.

The remaining three bodies were still in the back of the truck. Buffy was not allowed to get inside the truck yet as forensics still had not finished their work, but it was obvious these men had not gone down easily. She spotted shell casings on the floor and several weapons lay on the ground near the fallen soldiers. From what she could see, these bodies were in even worse condition than the ones outside. Shooting a vampire wouldn't kill it and may slow it down momentarily but it also really pissed them off.

Ziva approached Gibbs. "I think we have found where they parked their get-a-way vehicle." she said.

Buffy and Gibbs followed her about 50 feet to the entrance to an alley. At the entrance in the mud and filth, Buffy could see the impression of large tire tracks along with bloody footprints that approached the tracks and then disappeared.

"Several someones made multiple trips from the transport to the vehicle sitting here." Ziva began.

"They were moving the suits." Gibbs finished for her.

"Get photos of these prints and send them to Abby. See if she can figure out what type of shoes they were wearing."

Buffy's phone rang and she moved away from Gibbs and the noise of the scene to answer.

"What do have?"

"It's not good." Willow answered. "Giles and I think Victor is going to try and invoke Nuitari." Willow said this in a tone that implied Buffy should know what she was talking about.

"Whoa, back up Willow. Who is New kid?"

"Nuitari, Buffy." Willow sounded exasperated. Willow would never understand how Buffy could butcher every single bad guy name. "Nuitari is an evil god. His mother is the God of Darkness. He's like the patron saint of the undead."

Buffy though quickly. "Wait, if this guy is all about the dark, why would Victor need suits to block the sun?"

"Nuitari went up against the wrong God." Willow explained. "Thousands of years ago Nuitari and the God of Light went head to head and Nuitari lost. The God of Light banished him to an alternate dimension in which the sun never sets. The sun drains his power and keeps him from escaping."

"Okay, so if he is in another dimension what's the problem. How can Victor get to him?"

"Haven't you learned by now that nothing is that simple?" Willow chided. "My research indicates that portal between our dimension and his is based on the position of the moon and stars. It's how the God of Light banished him in the first place. When everything is aligned correctly the portal can be opened and Nuitari can be released."

"Okay, well he sounds like someone I don't ever want to meet but what's this got to do with the Slayer line?"

"Nuitari loves chaos. He feeds off chaotic energy. What would cause more chaos than ending the slayer line?"

"That still doesn't explain how he could end the line? How would that be possible?" Buffy demanded.

"Nuitari is very powerful. He has the ability to alter time and events to suit his need for chaos. Think about Halloween and the damsel." Willow said.

"I would really rather not."

"My point is, you lost your powers that night. Effectively the slayer line was gone while that spell was in effect. Once Nuitari is released and regains his full strength, he will have enough power to cast a similar spell except he can make it permanent and it would encompass the world instead of just a town."

"So, when and where will this portal be and how can we stop New toy?"

"We are still trying to calculate the exact location and time, but since Victor is in the DC area we have to assume it will be someplace close. As for how to stop him, if we can stop him from performing the ceremony to open the portal Nuitari will remain in his prison dimension and we won't have to worry about stopping him."

"Victor has been building an army of vamps." Buffy told her. "I'm going to need some help to stop this."

"Faith and her group are on their way. They should be there in a few hours."

"Let me know as soon as you have a when and where."

Gibbs had been standing far enough away to give her privacy for her call but when she hung up and approached him he could tell the news wasn't good.


End file.
